PipNSqueak
Member
Cavy Slave
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2014
- Posts
- 12
- Joined
- Jun 1, 2014
- Messages
- 12
Hello,
We're thinking of adding two more pigs to our family. We see so many beautiful guinea pigs that need rescued, and feel like we should help. We have a few questions and concerns and would like suggestions. First, we are thinking of two instead of one so that the new pig doesn't have to be alone during quarantining, and also, so that the pig will still have a bonded companion in case the introductions don't work out with our current girls. Does that seem like a good idea?
I'd also like to know what type of personalities to look for to match best with our girls. I'll describe the personalities of our girls to see if that will help. Pip and Squeak are 4 month old Peruvian sisters. Though they are from the same litter, they have very different looks and personalities. Squeak is much bigger than Pip (she has wider hips
, and she is the most relaxed of the two around the cage. She drinks a ton of water compared to her sister. She is always up for coming over for a treat (usually hay handed to her), loves when we talk to her, and even occasionally lets us pet her while in the cage. Despite her normally chill nature, she absolutely hates to be picked up, and she has a small bladder, so she doesn't last long during lap time. But, she does enjoy it while she's there, so long as you don't need to cut her hair, clean her butt (she hates her butt being touched), or trim her nails. She also doesn't groom herself often, though she needs to! If Squeak is dominant about anything, it's food, though she does share with her sister for that, too. She loves to sleep on her side when she sleeps, which is adorable!
Pip is the smaller of the two and is more cautious around the cage. She is also more exploratory and seemingly has the better sense of smell. She will find any food her sister drops and is the first to find new toys. She also hums all the time when she's exploring, especially when going up and down ramps. One noticeably prevalent feature of Pip is that she rumbles all the time. She learned to do it the second week we had them, and she hasn't stopped since. She rumbles more than any female guinea pig I've seen, and though it's mostly at her sister to claim some area, I've seen her rumble when her sister is nowhere near her. This is one of the few dominant behaviors I've see between the two; they're usually pretty relaxed, and Pip will go from rumbling to popcorning and happy in the blink of an eye. Pip is much easier to pick up; she'll run at first, but gives up easily and doesn't get nearly as frightened as her sister does when she's picked up. She also loves lap time and has a huge bladder. She loves to be on your shoulder and hums happily if you snuggle your head against her and pet her. She grooms herself much more than her sister does and is cleaner on her own as a result. She also likes having her own "me" parties, where she'll run laps around the bottom floor by herself if her sister is asleep. They also love to play and run laps together, though! Pip's definitely the more energetic of the two. She usually likes to sleep on her stomach with her head propped up on a bit of fleece blanket for a pillow, which may explain why she likes being a shoulder Pip so much, since she can rest her head on your shoulder.
Those are our two wonderful girls. So, one of our worries is, will the girls accept new additions, or would they rather be like they are now, without more friends? Are there any breeds that don't get along with our Peruvians or breeds that work best together? What type of personalities should we look for in companions (submissive, dominant, etc.)? Would adding a neutered boy and girl couple be best or two girls? Our girls have never been around a boy before, and I'm not sure how they'd respond. If they don't end up getting along, could we still put them all together during daily exercise time, or would that need to be separate as well?
We would appreciate any advice. Thank you so much!
We're thinking of adding two more pigs to our family. We see so many beautiful guinea pigs that need rescued, and feel like we should help. We have a few questions and concerns and would like suggestions. First, we are thinking of two instead of one so that the new pig doesn't have to be alone during quarantining, and also, so that the pig will still have a bonded companion in case the introductions don't work out with our current girls. Does that seem like a good idea?
I'd also like to know what type of personalities to look for to match best with our girls. I'll describe the personalities of our girls to see if that will help. Pip and Squeak are 4 month old Peruvian sisters. Though they are from the same litter, they have very different looks and personalities. Squeak is much bigger than Pip (she has wider hips
, and she is the most relaxed of the two around the cage. She drinks a ton of water compared to her sister. She is always up for coming over for a treat (usually hay handed to her), loves when we talk to her, and even occasionally lets us pet her while in the cage. Despite her normally chill nature, she absolutely hates to be picked up, and she has a small bladder, so she doesn't last long during lap time. But, she does enjoy it while she's there, so long as you don't need to cut her hair, clean her butt (she hates her butt being touched), or trim her nails. She also doesn't groom herself often, though she needs to! If Squeak is dominant about anything, it's food, though she does share with her sister for that, too. She loves to sleep on her side when she sleeps, which is adorable!Pip is the smaller of the two and is more cautious around the cage. She is also more exploratory and seemingly has the better sense of smell. She will find any food her sister drops and is the first to find new toys. She also hums all the time when she's exploring, especially when going up and down ramps. One noticeably prevalent feature of Pip is that she rumbles all the time. She learned to do it the second week we had them, and she hasn't stopped since. She rumbles more than any female guinea pig I've seen, and though it's mostly at her sister to claim some area, I've seen her rumble when her sister is nowhere near her. This is one of the few dominant behaviors I've see between the two; they're usually pretty relaxed, and Pip will go from rumbling to popcorning and happy in the blink of an eye. Pip is much easier to pick up; she'll run at first, but gives up easily and doesn't get nearly as frightened as her sister does when she's picked up. She also loves lap time and has a huge bladder. She loves to be on your shoulder and hums happily if you snuggle your head against her and pet her. She grooms herself much more than her sister does and is cleaner on her own as a result. She also likes having her own "me" parties, where she'll run laps around the bottom floor by herself if her sister is asleep. They also love to play and run laps together, though! Pip's definitely the more energetic of the two. She usually likes to sleep on her stomach with her head propped up on a bit of fleece blanket for a pillow, which may explain why she likes being a shoulder Pip so much, since she can rest her head on your shoulder.
Those are our two wonderful girls. So, one of our worries is, will the girls accept new additions, or would they rather be like they are now, without more friends? Are there any breeds that don't get along with our Peruvians or breeds that work best together? What type of personalities should we look for in companions (submissive, dominant, etc.)? Would adding a neutered boy and girl couple be best or two girls? Our girls have never been around a boy before, and I'm not sure how they'd respond. If they don't end up getting along, could we still put them all together during daily exercise time, or would that need to be separate as well?
We would appreciate any advice. Thank you so much!
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