Studies of guinea pigs in the wild have shown that they tend to live in herds of five to ten. A herd generally has one adult male and the rest female or sexually immature children. You may not want an entire herd of guinea pigs in your home, but your pigs will be happiest if they aren’t alone.
Both anecdotal and experimental evidence points to domestic guinea pigs being happiest and healthiest when living with other guinea pigs. So how do you pick the right partner for your pig?
- A very young pair (under six months) may experience personality changes as they mature — and may not get along as adults.
- Same-sex adult pairs generally get along well.
- A neutered male/spayed female pair generally gets along well.
- An older guinea pig with a younger guinea pig is usually a good match.
- Make sure — 100% sure — you know the sex of the guinea pigs. You don’t want to end up with an accidental litter on your hands! Don’t necessarily trust a pet store employee to know how to sex a guinea pig. Talk to a veterinarian or breeder for a definitive answer.
Don’t cram your two guinea pigs into a cage meant for one. Cavy Spirit (a guinea pig rescue and education group) suggests a two by four cage or larger — approximately ten and a half square feet or more — for two males housed together.
Keeping two guinea pigs won’t double your pet care spending — or your cage cleaning time. Experts find that the average cost increase is just twenty-five percent for two guinea pigs over one guinea pig.
A few ways guinea pigs benefit from interaction with other guinea pigs:
- Young guinea pigs learn behaviors from older guinea pigs.
- Guinea pigs engage in friendly competition over food — you may find a finicky eater is much more willing to chow down if a second guinea pig is around.
- Guinea pigs play and chase each other.
- Guinea pigs often sleep snuggled together.
If your guinea pigs do stop getting along, that doesn’t mean they should be moved to different rooms. They’ll still benefit from seeing each other and interacting with each other. Try a cage with a shared grid wall so they can interact safely and without fighting.