Some small furry animals are happy living a life of peaceful solitude. Guinea pigs, on the other hand, are a different story entirely. Our favourite fluffballs are sociable creatures who thrive in herds and should never be kept alone without at least one other piggy roommate.
If you’re becoming a piggy parent for the very first time, you should always get more than one piggy. No reputable rescue, pet shop or breeder would allow you to walk away with just one guinea pig. Alternatively, if you have a single guinea pig due to circumstance, such as a recent bereavement, then finding another little friend for your piggy is the kindest thing to do.
In our step-by-step guide, we explore common questions surrounding bonding, as well as how to safely introduce guinea pigs to achieve the best chance of a harmonious friendship.
The benefits of having a companion for your guinea pig
Paired guinea pigs will exercise more
Just like us hoomans, guinea pigs require daily exercise to stay happy and healthy. It benefits their physical health, as well as ensuring that they get enough mental stimulation to keep them entertained. A piggy that isn’t active becomes a complacent piggy, which isn’t what we want!
Guinea pigs are natural extroverts. So when your piggy is paired with a companion, they'll get to socialise and express themselves better. They will happily share their days with one another - exploring new toys, nibbling on fresh hay, or cuddling up in a cosy corner together for some shut-eye. It’s even common piggy behaviour to follow each other around their cages - also fondly referred to as a ‘piggy train’ (and one that we’d be more than happy to get aboard!).
In particular, companionship will do senior piggies a world of good. Older guinea pigs can easily become idle if left on their own. A young whipper-snapper will keep them moving and prevent obesity-related health issues!
Paired guinea pigs will have a more varied diet
If you’ve ever heard the clamour of an eagerly wheeking pig at dinner time, then you’ll know first-hand that piggies are real foodies at heart! However, when piggies are brought up by themselves, they don’t have an older piggy to teach them which foods are the right ones to eat. And - shockingly - they may even refuse some of the tasty veggies you offer them!
If a companion is eating something new, on the other hand, they'll often attempt to grab the food for themselves to try it. If their piggy pal thinks it’s delicious, then they’re more eager to find out what all the fuss is about.
A varied diet is essential to ensure your piggy receives all of the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals they need to thrive. By meeting all of their daily nutritional requirements, your guinea pig will grow up strong and healthy.
Paired guinea pigs will get mental stimulation
In the wild, guinea pigs are at the bottom of the food chain and tend to live in herds for their own safety. When faced with a predator, they'll typically run in different directions and alert other members of the piggy pack to danger with a high-pitched squeal. In short, cavies are hardwired to find safety in numbers.
If a guinea pig’s natural instinct is to be among their own kind, then giving your piggy a companion will help them feel as happy and safe as possible. As much as your piggy loves you, a guinea pig would instinctively still prefer to have a furry pal to keep them company throughout the day and night to make them feel more secure.
How do I pick a companion for my guinea pig?
As with us hoomans, you probably don’t want to pair two big personalities under one roof or you could have some almighty clashes. Similarly, two wallflowers may not hit it off, either. Check out the below tips to help select a suitable piggy pal:
Age
Believe it or not, a younger guinea pig paired with an older guinea pig can be an excellent match, because it helps to establish a natural hierarchy. Generally speaking, the senior piggy will display more dominance than the younger pup and they will quickly settle into their social roles.
To sense-check whether this will work in your situation beforehand, you should carefully consider the temperament of your current piggy. For instance, an older guinea pig with a laid-back personality may not get along with a bold and feisty young pup who challenges their dominance.
Size
You should also consider the size of your piggies to help establish a good bond. For example, if you’ve got one big furry potato and one smaller furry potato, this can make for a dream team pair of spuds! The larger of the two piggies will generally be the boss, whereas the smaller cavy will happily take on a more subservient role.
Gender
In order to maintain a successful and harmonious herd of piggies, establishing a hierarchy of dominance is crucial. It's highly advised that you keep to same-sex pairings, e.g. two boars or two sows.
If a female and a male pig are housed together then we strongly suggest that the piggies get spayed/neutered to avoid any accidental pregnancies (as adorable as little cavies can be, pregnancy can be tough on you and your piggy!).
Male guinea pig pairs
There is a widely held misconception that pairing male guinea pigs will not work due to aggression and fighting. While this can be occasionally true - especially if you have two particularly alpha boars on your hands - there are many male guinea pig pairs that work just fine. Once they have established dominance, it’s possible for two males to live together quite happily.
The secret to successful male bonding is: SPACE! You’ll need plenty of it. Male guinea pigs need at least 2.25sqm of cage space in order to be able to establish dominance and retreat when they need some time out.
Another important thing to remember is to keep female piggies well away from your male companions. A pair of bonded male guinea pigs that are living happily together may see red when it comes to a love triangle in which they are fighting over a favoured sow.
Female guinea pig pairs
Female piggy pairings are generally easier to match, and you can also bond herds of female piggies in a much larger group compared to males. However, be aware that it’s not just boars that fight! Two sows with particularly dominant personalities may not see eye to eye either, so you’ll still need to check that any potential pairings are suitable before housing the piggies together long-term.
Male and female guinea pig pairs
A male and female pairing should only be considered if one or both of the piggies has been neutered/spayed. Due to the potential risks involved with spaying sows, it's preferrable to neuter boars. However, there can be complications with both surgeries, so speak with your cavy-savvy vet to get their professional opinion on the matter.
How about guinea pig speed dating and matchmaking services?
If you're trying to find a new cage mate for your lonely piggy, some cavy rescues offer guinea pig matchmaking - like speed dating but for guinea pigs! Trained cavy rescue volunteers will arrange and closely monitor one-on-one introductions with your solo piggy, until they find a potential match.
With this sort of matchmaking, your solo guinea pig will only be paired with a piggy of the same sex - or a neutered piggy of the opposite sex - so that you won’t end up with unexpected guinea pig babies (as adorable as they are).
If initial introductions at the rescue go well, you can move the relationship on to the next stage and trial the bond at home. However, just like us hoomans, your piggies might not hit it off once they try living together. If the pairing sadly doesn’t work out, the rescue will help you to find a different potential match for your guinea pig in the hopes that this will work out better.
How do I introduce my guinea pigs?
If you have adopted your guinea pigs from two different locations, or you're introducing a new guinea pig to your solo guinea pig or existing guinea pig herd, you will need to carefully follow the below bonding process. Taking these steps will give your guinea pigs the best chance at forming a successful bond.
Step 1: Quarantine your piggies
Quarantining a guinea pig simply means preventing physical contact between your piggies for the first two weeks. This is to ensure that any underlying health issues that they may be carrying - such as parasites - do not pass to your solo piggy or existing herd.
To quarantine guinea pigs, you will need two separate cage setups. Here at Kavee, we have a range of C&C cages that are designed with dividers to quarantine guinea pigs. C&C cages can be set up within minutes and allow piggy parents to reuse the grids to expand into a single large cage once the quarantine period is over!
Keep these things in mind when your guinea pigs are in quarantine:
- Always wash your hands after handling your new guinea pigs (a change of clothes is also advised).
- Do not share used or unwashed fleece bedding, accessories, or toys between the two cages.
Step 2: Put the cages in the same room
Once the guinea pig quarantine period has ended, you can begin introductions. Start slowly, with two important senses - sight and scent. If their cages are in the same room, they should be able to see and smell each other. This can be easily achieved by placing both cages side by side against one another. It’s helpful for the piggies to be able to spend time getting accustomed to each other, with a barrier in place to prevent any fights.
Teeth chattering and rumble-strutting at this stage are normal guinea pig behaviours and don’t necessarily indicate the bond will fail. Piggies will naturally feel the need to suss out any social hierarchies and establish their dominant or submissive roles. The real test is when the guinea pigs share the same space!
During this initial stage, you should also do some ‘scent swapping’. This means swapping their bedding or accessories so that they can get used to each other’s unique smell. Simply place a used item into each cage and observe their reactions. Just be patient, as a positive or negative reaction to the scent won't instantly establish whether the bond will be successful or not!
Step 3: Set up a neutral space for the introduction
Once the piggies are used to each other’s scent, you can move to a physical introduction. This initial meeting should take place in a neutral space that doesn't have the heavy scent of either guinea pigs, to discourage territorial behaviour. A C&C playpen is a great option for your initial introductions as you can insert or remove a barrier, when needed.
Step 4: Introduce your guinea pigs
When it’s time for your piggies to meet, allow them into the area and let them have a mooch around. Watch them at all times and look for positive signs such as popcorning or gentle sniffs of each other. They may even groom or relax together.
Introduce some yummy snacks, such as fresh lettuce leaves or a handful of parsley, so that they associate being together with something they enjoy - eating!
At this point, your piggies might also display signs of dominant behaviour such as rumble-strutting, mounting, or teeth chattering. This is all normal behaviour as they work out their relationship so don't worry about it unless it looks like they're getting ready to fight!
Signs of a guinea pig introduction not going well
Hopefully, your introduction is plain sailing, but there are some behaviours that may indicate a clash of piggy personalities. In particular, keep an eye out for:
- Aggressive behaviour
- Piggies launching themselves at one another
- Piggies biting each other and drawing blood
- Persistent chasing
- Facing off against each other with their noses raised
- Circling
Step 5: Your guinea pigs are ready to move in together!
Once your guinea pigs have had peaceful face-to-face meetings, it’s time for them to take the big step of finally moving in together.
If you’ve followed the ‘scent swapping’ stage correctly, both guinea pigs should be accustomed to each other’s scent. Ideally, for their shared cage, use bedding carrying both their scents - a Kavee fleece liner is ideal for this as you can allow both guinea pigs to spend time on it before placing it in your cage. Placing pee pads carrying both piggies’ scents in their shared cage will also help them settle in.
Plenty of healthy snacks and toys will keep them occupied. Also ensure that you have two of everything - two hideys, two water bottles or bowls and two food bowls in the cage to minimise competition. And, of course, you should make sure that there is plenty of space, which brings us onto our next point...
Picking the best cage size for a successful bond
You’ll need to have a cage big enough to accommodate two guinea pigs so it’s good to be clued up about cage sizes. Guinea pigs like to run around a fair bit, which means that they need plenty of room.
At Kavee, we believe the minimum guidance is seriously outdated. We know from our experience of caring for guinea pigs that the minimum floor space advised is simply too small for guinea pigs to enjoy the best quality of life possible.
The advised minimum floor space for two sows is 8ft2 - equivalent to a 2x3 C&C cage. However, here at Kavee, we recommend a 4x2 indoor guinea pig cage for two guinea pigs so that they have more space to run around together as well as enjoying some ‘me time’ to minimise squabbles.
C&C cages are an ideal option for growing your guinea pig herd because they’re so flexible and easy to adjust. If you're going from two guinea pigs to more, you can easily add more cage grids to your setup to increase its size.
Tips to bond guinea pigs once they live together
Take them out of their cage
Living spaces can make piggies particularly territorial, so a good way to stop the bickering and build the bond of friendship is to give them regular time in neutral territory. There, they will feel more relaxed with space to play and freely explore.
It’s amazing to see two constantly clashing piggies suddenly turn into the best of friends during floor time! Some piggies simply find it more difficult to get along within the confines of their cage, so putting them in a new environment can help to establish a bond. This can be a sign that you’re more than halfway there.
Keep increasing their floor time sessions, and try a new space during each one, with stimulating accessories, toys, and places to explore. The more fun you make it for your piggies, the more they’ll find joy in each other’s company.
Don’t remove them too early from a floor time session
Always remember that the key to bonding is patience. Yep, bonding takes time!
Monitor your piggies for the first half an hour or so, then leave them for 1-2 hours. During this time, if you see any typical dominant behaviour such as nose-offs, mounting, chasing, butt sniffing and dragging - don’t panic! This is all okay and to be expected.
However, if you see more aggressive displays such as biting, raised hackles, and prolonged intense teeth chattering, then separate your piggies ASAP.
Generally speaking though, it’s best to try and leave the guinea pigs to sort out any dominance and not jump in to separate them too early. It’s easy to mistake normal acts of dominance for aggression, however intervening too often will only prolong the bonding process of establishing a hierarchy.
Find more tips on bonding guinea pigs in this video by Kavee Rescue's pig-expert Tara:
My guinea pig’s bond failed… What do I do?
Sadly, sometimes a guinea pig pairing just isn’t meant to be. Bonds can fail days, weeks or even months after a pair of guinea pigs have been matched. If they're regularly fighting or are even hurting each other, they will have to be separated for their own safety.
As mentioned, guinea pigs are social creatures and can emotionally suffer if they don't have the comfort and companionship of at least one of their own kind as a housemate.
If your guinea pigs' bond fails, there are other options:
- You could try a different pairing.
- Rather than focusing on same sex pairings, you could pair a neutered male with a female; sometimes these pairings have less of a competitive dynamic than single sex pairings.
- If your guinea pig can’t tolerate sharing a cage with other piggies, their cage could be kept close by to other guinea pigs so that they can still enjoy the social benefits of being part of a herd but they have a protective barrier between them and the other piggies.
Guinea Pig Bonding FAKs - Frequently Asked Kavees
How long does it take for guinea pigs to bond?
It’s impossible to say as it depends on the unique temperaments of the individual piggies in question. Sometimes there’s an instant connection, and your guinea pigs may become best of friends in the space of an afternoon. Other times, it may be more of a slow burn, with a friendship being established over a few months.
Can you separate bonded guinea pigs?
Guinea pigs can become depressed and even refuse to eat if separated from their furry housemates, so you should never split up a bonded pair of guinea pigs (unless serious fighting occurs). A small amount of nipping, chasing or mounting is perfectly normal, even in bonded pairs. However, you should separate them immediately for some time-out if any fighting occurs.
What are the signs guinea pigs like each other?
You can tell when piggies have bonded because they will groom each other and happily share their dinner. You can also expect a lot of playing and cosying up between bonded guinea pigs. Naww!
What are the signs guinea pigs hate each other?
If your guinea pig is behaving more aggressively towards another cavy, then it may be a sign that they’re not going to be the best of pals. Some signs to distinguish fighting behaviour from normal displays of dominance are: biting with harmful intent, drawing blood, or using their full force to lunge at the other piggy. You should also look out for loud, aggressive teeth chattering that could escalate into a full-blown physical fight.
Do guinea pigs do better in pairs?
Yes! Guinea pigs are naturally sociable little creatures that thrive on companionship. Without it, they will become lonely and sad. In the wild, they live together in large herds, so it makes sense that they naturally prefer to be kept in pairs or small groups.
