Another male?

[DocDolittle]

I've read both sides of the arguments, that males eventually end up inevitably fighting, and that they can get along just fine. I myself have experienced a bit of fighting from my two boys, one which recently passed away. I am actually thinking of buying another guinea pig(male, because with I currently have a male and a female would be disastrous) because my current piggy lives in the basement(don't worry, it has a stable temperature and we use a dehumidifier), where he doesn't get an excessive amount of socialization with his 'family' because the majority of the day my siblings are at school and my mom and dad work. I would love to have his cage in the living room, but I cannot because my mom provides day care service in our home, where my guinea pig could be grabbed at by the kids. So, even though my previous guinea pig and my current guinea pig lived in separate cages, their cages were still next to each other and they could see, smell, and hear each other, thus still providing social stimulation while I was not home. So now, I feel bad that Cocoa has no one to talk to, and I want another guinea pig. My question is, since it seems like my deceased guinea pig, Pebbles, was the tempermental one who always picked the fights, could I perhaps slowly introduce another male to Cocoa's lifestyle and see how they got along together? I'm just worried about the cages. You see, I was thinking of also building a new C&C cage for Cocoa, as his is a commercially bought cage and it seems so small, and so much more expensive, than a C&C cage. I think that may be why he never seems so happy in his cage. But, if I get another guinea pig, I am concerned that I will have to buy another C&C cage, and my basement does NOT have enough room for two of those large cages. I wish I could accomodate to all of these problems, it's just such a problem though. So, the bottom line: Should I be able to socialize two male guinea pigs together so that they can get along and establish a social heirarchy, and if that doesn't work, does anyone have any suggestions about a cage? And also, is it more exspensive to have a larger C&C cage, as it is more bedding(I use carefresh)? Please reply ASAP, I need serious help right now. And thank you in advance!

 

[dagwellismypigy]

Yes you should get another male. You would have to be patient. I just got a male the other day and at the moment they are being quarintined but im gonna start next week. You should read www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm to help you out.

 

[DocDolittle]

Thanks for the suggestion, this is about the third time I've read it now. I'm just a little torn though, I think too much into things and now I 'm nervous about how things are going to wind up if the pigs fight. I heard that things go better with a younger and older guinea pig, so I'll try that. I hope I can just convince my parents to let me get another one. They should wind up letting me get one, as I take full responsiblity for them, it's just that it takes up so much room. Oh well, as long as it makes the pig happy, right? I'd love to find a rescue, but I just can't seem to find one near me. Oh well, I know a very trustworthy family owned store that breeds guinea pigs(they're family friends, I've seen the conditions they breed and keep the pigs in, it's amazingly pristine) and hopefully they'll have a litter soon. Thanks for your advice, it's greatly appreciated!

 

[dagwellismypigy]

I know EXACTLY what you mean ... even though i already i have my two pigs im scared the may fight or not get along but you could always just make a big cage and seperate it with one wall. I'm going to adopt a third pig next weekend and introduce them all at the same time. Dont worry it will most likely work out just dont be afraid of a little bit of squealling.

 

[Guinea pig guy]

You can introduce a young male to an older male and they should get along really well.But never introduce a new male to your current one if you plan on putting him in the cage that houses your current male.If you were to do this your current male would probably think something like this " hey who's this new guinea pig coming into my house nobody can live with me this is my house and mine alone,i've been living here solo for a long time now and no new guinea pig is gonna take my own home from me." Your current male will already be used to his home,he'll already have his own sleeping and eating spots.Its a whole lot easier if you to introduce them to one another in a cage they have never been in before.By doing this they can both get used to the cage together and pick their own sleeping spots and so on.But if none of this were to work and your piggies just don't seem to get along then you can section your cage and make two houses.You can do this by attatching some cubes right in the middle of the cage.This might make both their living quarters a little smaller but as long as they both run around in a large room all to themselves everyday they should be fine.I hope this helps you.

 

[Treen]

And remember that having them living side by side as you previously did, still provides an enormous amount of companionship - they can still smell, see and hear their own kind. So even if it ends up that they don't want to share a cage, you'll still be able to improve Cocoa's quaity of life a great deal.

Do you have room for a 6 x 2 cage? If so, make one of those as it'll be a really good size for two boars, and if they don't get along you can simply partition it. If not, make as big as you can, and you could always add another cage on top which wouldn'r use up any more floor space.

 

[DocDolittle]

Thanks, these suggestions help alot. I guess if it doesn't work out, I could just designate two cages with more cubes. I already have two commercial cages from when I had my other boar along with my current boar, should I leave the two pigs in these cages, quarentine him in the cage, and then introduce them to the C&C cages together then? And also, if you have a large C&C cage, since I know it takes up more bedding, is it more expensive, or is it almost the same because the bedding often lasts longer?

 

[DocDolittle]

And also, adding to my above question, is Pine bedding safe? I currently use Carefresh, but it's so expensive, so I was wondering if there as a more cost-efficient bedding while it still keeps the pig safe. I know that cedar is a big no-no, but what about pine?

 

[mncavylover]

No, please do not use pine. It is pretty safe if it is aired out properly, but that takes a looong time. Aspen bedding is relatively cheap and is safe.

Actually, costs went down --I now use aspen (three inches thick!) with a bit of carefresh. My cage is a 2x9 total, with two pigs, and only needs to be changed about every three weeks.

 

[DocDolittle]

Really, sounds good. Thanks for the advice, I'll try it next time I need to clean the piggie's cage out.

 

[mncavylover]

Ok, great! Hope it works out for ya!

 

[DocDolittle]

Thanks for all of your advice, it's nice to have all of this straightened out.

 

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Please adopt rather than going to a pet store. Have you tried petfinder.com and cavyrescue.com?

 

[DocDolittle]

Yes I have, I tried to find a nearby shelter with a male, but my mom doesn't want to have to drive me all the way to Libertyville, as it's about two hours away from where we live. I just can't find a nearby shelter.

 

[mncavylover]

I'm positive that there must be something near you. Have you checked the newspaper, the yellowpages, google, and all the classifieds on those sites as well?