Can I put my female guinea pigs in the same cage?
A couple things. The rumbling noise you're hearing is called "rumble strutting". It's a dominance thing pigs do when they first meet. It means they're feeling aggressive or threatened, so don't leave them alone as long as they're doing that. It could break out into a fight, and your little piggy probably won't fare well with the older girl. How big is your cage? Two sows (female guinea pigs) can comfortably live in about a 2 foot by 3 foot cage. Much smaller, and they'll likely fight over territory. Google C&C cages if you don't already know what that is. You're lucky, the easiest introduction is a young female to an older female with guinea pigs. With time and patience, you should be able to house them together. Start slowly, as you've been doing. Let them meet each other someplace neutral, like on the floor. Offer them some treats, like baby carrots or greens, while they're out to distract them. Have a dustpan or something handy in case they do fight- you don't want to stick your hands between two angry guinea pigs, believe me! Once they seem used to each other, that is, they go near each other without rumbling or freaking out and running away, you can try putting them in the same cage. It's best to try at first with a freshly cleaned and re-arranged cage. Be sure they have a couple hide-boxes, so they can get away from each other if they want to. Keep a close eye on them for the first few weeks. You may see some scuffles and some more rumble strutting as they sort out who's going to be the "boss pig"- in this case, probably your older female. But they should settle down soon. Finally, the rule of thumb for guinea pig scuffles is, no blood, no foul. If you see them scuffling, break it up (with the dust pan!), but if they don't draw blood, you don't have to separate them. If blood is drawn, though, the two pigs shouldn't be re-introduced, as they'll probably never get along. Best of luck! Rejoicing in the day, -Mary
Which is best. Two Females or two male Guinea Pigs?
When it comes to this subject, everyone is going to have their own opinion. Males can fight, and they do need much more room. But not all males fight. If you get 2 young ones then there is a big chance that they will grow up as best buddies. It has happened to me before. Males can smell more, but females can also have an odor. In fact, guinea pigs DO NOT have any natural odor. It is their cage that smells if there is any odor, and a guinea pigs cage should never smell. Ever. If you were to leave your guinea pig in a smelly cage, then they would start to stink. They would then require a bath. Out of my own personal experience, I recommend 2 female guinea pigs. Males are very sweet and lovely, but 2 females are good for beginners. Here are some great sites on guinea pigs that should help you out: > http://guineapigranch.webs.com/ > http://www.cavyspirit.com > http://www.guineapigcages.com > http://www.guinealynx.info > http://www.jackiesguineapiggies.com
How do I separate my male and female guinea pigs with only one cage?
“How do I separate my male and female guinea pigs with only one cage?”If you only have floor space for one cage, you could make a C&C cage with two levels. Here are three links to some good designs.4x3 Two Level - Boys and GirlsPRESTIGE Double - C&C Guinea Pig CageI would not buy a cage that comes with a liner made of any kind of soft, flexible material. I sent for one and the liner smelled really horrible of vinyl. I never even used the cage. However, do not be put off by the ramps in these designs. I am sure you can eliminate the ramps if necessary.The best kind is a C&C cage, which stands for cube and Coroplast. The cube refers to storage cube components and Coroplast is a corrugated material, like a corrugated box, except it is made from an odorless kind of plastic.The hardest part is cutting the Coroplast. It is important to measure very carefully and make it slightly smaller than the cage so it fits in easily, but not too small because you want the coroplast side panels to be upright. If it is too small you can put pieces of Coroplast between the liner and the cube parts, but if it is too big and won’t fit, you have to buy another piece of Coroplast and start over. Also be careful not to cut all the way through the Coroplast, but cut through the top layer so that it will bend but not be severed.It is a lot of fun to design and build these cages and you can get very creative. I like the one in the video because of the way that the sides fold down, which is very convenient for cleaning and access to the GP’s. This also makes a compact cage design possible.The empty bins at the bottom are great for storage and also gets the cages off the ground where it is easier to interact with your pets and makes for less bending while you clean the cages. GP’s also do not like being on the ground because it can be colder and sometimes drafty. I think they feel safer up off the ground as well but I can’t say for sure about that.If you want to buy a two storey cage with solid bottoms there are many made for rabbits that might be OK, but I would not recommend any made for ferrets because they have entirely different habits. If you include any ramps be careful that they are not too long or steep. Guinea pigs are not good climbers and are somewhat prone to falling. Even rabbit ramps might be too steep or high. It is best to stick with a cage or plans that are meant for guinea pigs specifically.
Can I put two male guinea pigs together?
It's not a good idea to put 2 males together. They will nip one another's ears. The more dominate male will pick on the submissive one. Guinea Pigs, like to have ONE MALE pack leader and a lot of female pigs, or be solo. I had 46 Guinea pigs growing up, and we let them run loose in our backyard, and ONE MALE ALWAYS RULED!!! He was really MEAN!!! We had to issolate him. So, it's best to just enjoy your male Guinea Pig, feed him, and hold him. Leave him dried food and water when you are away, and love him and feed him and hold him when you can! He's be happier with just you than with another male pig. AND those Guinea Pigs bread every 40 days they have a litter!! Best to keep him single. He's not lonely, he's just your pet! I only have one dog, He's my dog, I would never buy him another dog to keep him company! It's his job to be my dog! I feel the same goes for Guinea pigs. YOU could buy him a rabbit, but not a hamster.
Do guinea pigs of different breeds get along?
I have two male guinea pigs: Truffles- American Bubbles- Abyssinian My cousin has one male guinea pig and is not allowed to get another one: Brownie- American I had to separate Truffles and Bubbles because they were fighting a lot. I know that guinea pigs should not be kept alone and I feel so bad for Brownie who has no "Buddy". Bubbles and Truffles are also lonely and I can't let them interact with each other anymore because if I put them together, Then truffles would try to kill Bubbles. Truffles can't seem to get along with ANY other cavy. All Truffles would do is tear poor Brownie's face apart. I'm wondering if there's any chance that Bubbles and Brownie would get along? They're different breeds but both of them almost have the same personality. They're both calm and lonely. ):
My guinea pigs won't leave me alone in the morning!?
I got two guinea pigs (female) in the middle of December. Turns out one of them was pregnant and hopefully she will have her babies soon. She is HUGE! Since I got them, I give them fresh veggies or fruit everyday, usually first thing in the morning when I get up for work. They also have pellots and hay available to them at all times. By the time I get home from work, they have eaten all the veggies I gave them that morning. When I walk in the door and they hear my voice, they come running to the cage door and squeal until I give them more veggies. I know that too much isn't good for them, but they won't stop until I finally give in and feed them more. Is this ok?
Can you only get one guinea pig?
After reading the other answers, they all seem to be missing a key point. Female guinea pigs are social creates who require small groups. Males are strictly solitary in the wild. Housing multiple males is possible, as the rest suggest, but is a massive pain the the arse and actually can shorten their life expentency. Female pigs require small groups of 2–4, however due to their size, pens need to be a good size, but a single male will do you very well.Guinea Pigs are also not very active creatures. Getting them a wheel is actually dangerous, as they aren't built for running but for burrowing and a wheel can cause them to trip and break a leg. Also, like all rodents, their teeth continuously grow so you need to provide them with a few small wooden blocks they can go and chew on.Another thing about them is their nutrition is a bit funny as well. About 75–80% of their diet is hay while the rest is the complete diet pellets you can get them. Also make sure to pick up Vitman C infused treats, (at least I'm pretty sure it was C) for them as they cannot naturally create it and require it in their diet. Whoever you buy him from should be able to answer and if they can't, I wouldn't buy from them.As far as outdoor access goes, Make sure they are in a penned in area where nothing can get to them and keep a close eye on them if there are hawks in your area. They really don't like running around much and like to slowly romp around eating grass and purring/squeaking.Source: Pet Store worker and Girlfriend who is obsessed with small animals and mother to many pigs.