Skinny Pigs and Guinea Pigs

[NellaBean]

Meet Pancho, the newest addition to my crazy house.

I know NOTHING about guinea pigs. Can I get him another male guinea pig (with HAIR) as a buddy? I think it would help keep him warm. I made him a temporary igloo out of a flipped over plastic tub....he is in a bigger plastic tub, with deep shavings and some hay under his "igloo" as well. I have him with a bowl of food and a bowl of water as I could not get the water bottle to hang right in there.

Any good links or info? Can two male guinea pigs get along or are they like rabbits and will fight unless neutered?

 

[b.hromada]

He's cute!

I've heard that some male guinea pigs will fight. I myself have one male piggie, because I've been afraid to get another male, in case they DO fight. Like you say, maybe if they are neutered. Good luck.

 

[AinaWGSD]

He reminds me of that little alien in the cabana in Star Wars! Yes, two male guinea pigs, even littermates, are more likely than not to fight if not neutered. I've seen some of the resulting wounds and they can be pretty nasty. And since your little guy has no hair to offer any protection from bites he's more likely to be injured in a squabble.

 

[Godsgrl]

Since you said you know nothing about guinea pigs, I wanted to let you know they cannot produce their own Vitamin C. This means you need to provide them with fresh greens daily. Things like kale, red leaf lettuce, spinach greens, those dark leafy things. Carrots and fruit are good as well, so are bell peppers, esp. red ones. Enjoy your new pet! And just for the record, we've never gotten two males to live together amicably. They always fight.

 

[NellaBean]

Well darn, I was hoping I could get him a little male buddy with actual fur to cuddle with to stay warm.

 

[Orchid]

GPs will fight unless neutered. I did have two males that got along fabulously, but they were both neutered and I got the second one as a baby when the first was an adult. Some guinea pigs and rabbits will become friends, though, given the opportunity.

The more room they have to run around, the happier they are. The biggest cage you can put him in is the best, with plenty of stuff to do like tubes (aka pipe, I bet you know where to get some of that

) to run through, ramps to climb, etc.

 

[ZoeS95423]

I had two male Guinea pigs that lived together for almost 7 years, then one passed away, and a few months later the other one did.

 

[navasima]

Quote:
A great friend for a male guinea pig can be a female bunny! She won't need the extra vitamin c, but can process it. They can snuggle and be buddies with no chance of kids whatsoever.

You'll need to get your bunny young and get her used to having her nails filed - they will climb on each other. ...oh and yes, I've done it myself...many moons ago...

 

[mom2jedi]

If you do decide to get a rabbit for a friend, be really careful with size. Guinea pigs can get hurt very easily by a rabbit (even a dwarf) because of their large feet and jumping capacity (getting squashed being landed on). It's also very hard to make sure the gp gets the right amount of it's own food since rabbit pellets don't have the added vitamin c.

If you really want to get him a friend, having a second male in another cage would work. They can smell, see, and hear each other and can have play time together in a neutral location like a playpen. If you're worried about not having fur, you can always cut up squares of fleece to give him. I second the idea of a larger cage for him. The C&C cages are perfect for piggies.