Pigs 'n' Their Pals

Guineas are social creatures and are not animals to be kept alone. It is very rare to have a cavy who will not tolerate the company of other guinea pigs; even rarer to discover one who actually enjoys living alone. They must have company of their own kind, even if it is just another piggy the other side of the room.
Ideally, and advisably, at least two guinea pigs should be kept together in the same cage to prevent boredom, loneliness and depression. Even two pigs in a divided cage it provides some kind of a social life.

The company of other animals and humans is no subsititute for the company of another piggy. You might say "I spend all day with my guinea pig and he is fine with that."
The truth is, he is not.

You talk a totally different language and are at least 20 times the size of him. Put yourself in that situation. Not nice to think of yourself, all alone is a big, scary, foreign world, with strange creatures much bigger than you talking an uninterpretable language.
At least with someone of your own kind you can face this strange world together, and understand each other.

Guinea Pigs and Other Animals

It has long been believed that guinea pigs get on well with animals of other species, particularly rabbits. In the modern day we understand that guinea pigs should never live directly with anything other than guinea pigs.

Rabbits and piggies have been known to get along in the past, but any practice of keeping rabbits and cavies together is no longer advisable in any way.
Rabbits have very strong hind legs, and a powerful kick aimed at a guinea pig has the potential to seriously injure, disable and even kill a cavy. Even accidental kicks from excited young dwarfs can do serious harm.

Not only this, but bunnies and piggies have different dietary requirements. Cavies are like humans in that they cannot manufacture their own vitamin C; rabbits can. Feeding both species in the same cage or floor area without hand-feeding would be very tricky.
Dry feed would simply be an impossibility - a few rabbit feeds contain a mild antibiotic which could cause a cavy to fall ill if consumed in substantial amounts. Guinea pig feeds are manufactured specifically to the needs of piggies; rabbit feeds are manufactured specifically to the needs of rabbits. Feeding them food intended for other animals is unsuitable and could also be harmful.

Virsues and bacteria which affect one species may only have a mild effect on that animal, but to another species it could be a serious health threat. Bordatella is one illness in particular which can be a problem between rabbits and cavies.

Guinea pigs and other rodents are also not a good combination. Hamsters can be unpredictably violent when confronted by creatures larger than themselves and can cause some serious wounds to an unsuspecting guinea.
Chinchillas have very specific lifestyle requirements, and guinea pigs should not become involved with chinchillas at all - whether for living arrangements or otherwise.

"Playdates" with creatures of another kind are also inappropriate and generally irresponsible.

Other family pets should be closely watched when around the piggies. Interaction from outside the cage by cats and dogs should be monitered closely; provided the dog/cat does not lick, pant or sneeze in the cage and the cage cannot be broken into then you should not need to interfere.
If your piggies do become distressed with the dog or cat hanging around them you should persuade all animals to stay away from the guineas, either by keeping the door of the room the cavies are in closed, or by providing another suitable distraction.

Some guinea pig carers allow their cats and dogs to pose for photos with their cavies, or to have a big "family" hug with all species of animal. Personally you should avoid this, as is poses an unnecessary threat to lives.
If you are unsure in any way about mixing your pets, even for just a few minutes, do not risk it. If your animals have mixed together successfully before, it is your responsibility to ensure that none of the animals involved are put at unnecessary risk; that if any interest or emotion is shown in the other species that you separate them immediately.

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How to Introduce Guinea Pigs

Quarantine the new cavy
Quarantining any new piggy is important. You must keep the new pig in a different room to your current guineas and wash your hands after handling the new pig . Keep your new pig separate to the other for at least 2 weeks, 3 weeks if possible.
Keeping the new guinea pig separate from the group gives you time to spot any illnesses the new pig may have as well as easing your new friend into a new place without causing too much stress.

Take a trip to the vet
There are two purposes for a first vet visit.
Getting your pig properly sexed is one, even if you have checked yourself and the rescue has given you their decision.
Getting a general check-up is worthwhile too, but please remember that illness is not always spotted during this visit. The vet should check your pigs teeth (incisors and molars), eyes, ears and weight, and also check to see that the nose is clear. Various areas are gently massaged to feel for any abnormalities.
While a visit to the vet is not completely necessary, it is advised.

 Introductions
After 2-3 weeks of quarantining you are ready to add your new cavy to your current group. Neutral is the key word when doing introductions. Try taking all the pigs out onto the lawn in an enclosure - this is neutral territory and the grass will provide a distraction. Alternatively you could line an empty bathtub with clean blankets and pop in some hay and fresh vegetables - again, neutral and a distraction.

Nipping, chasing, butt-sniffing, mounting, rumblestrutting and nose-offs (high nose contests) are normal dominance behaviours. The gender mix is irrelevant in terms of behavioural activities - boar-on-boar, boar-on-sow (ensure that one sex is neutered before putting together), sow-on-boar, and sow-on-sow. It does not mean that your pigs are "gay" if they mount each other and are of the same sex.
These behaviours will always be around as a daily part of your pigs' lives, but they will usually be most intense when they first meet each other.

What could indicate an imminent fight is snorting, lunging and yawning (showing teeth). Always have a small towel to hand when monitoring introductions in case you need to separate the pigs from a ball-of-fur fight - pig bites can be very nasty if you don't protect yourself.

Remember only separate if there is bloodshed, severe distress, or if one cavy is stopping the other from eating.
The dominance process may seem brutal but it is the cavy's natural way of establishing ranks within the herd.

If the pigs do get into a ball-of-fur fight, then separate them for a few minutes and re-introduce them on another clean blanket, in a totally new area if possible.

If that doesn't work....
If none of your attempts work and they continually get into ball-of-fur fights then a "Buddy Bath" may be performed, where you bathe each pigs' rear end, temporarily covering their individual scents. Once they have dried off then they will smell the same, thus any tensions between them will usually be put aside. When their scents are uncovere they are often at the stage where they tolerate each others company and will not put up such a fight.

If you feel confident enough to bathe all the pigs together then do so - after all, that is the point of a "Buddy Bath". The piggies should be so concerned at what's going on that they forget about fighting the stranger and will bond with each other through fear.
This is a last resort though, as bathing does dry out the skin, so try to avoid it if you can.

The final step...
Once the pigs have all bonded you must clean the cage thoroughly. Wash all water bottles, food dishes and accessories with hot soapy water. Clean the actual cage well before putting fresh bedding and the clean accessories back in. This gives the pigs the best chance at still getting along once in the cage.

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Case Study

Lottie-Primrose's journey is a perfect example of the impact of having friends in a guinea pigs' life.

To mine and Lorna's (Green Fields Rescue's manager) knowledge, Lottie had not lived with other guinea pigs in her two years of life. The company she had known was that of a rabbit, and that of very young children in a children's nursery. The amount of attention she received from humans is unknown.

To the untrained eye, Lottie could have looked very content living alone. She was a very vocal cavy, wheeking very loudly at the prospect of food and even the idea fof having human attention focused on her.

I had been looking for a third guinea pig to pair up with my alreayd bonded couple, Charlie and Tuppence. Lottie arrived at the rescue at just the right time. I took her home after she stayed just two nights at the rescue.
As Lottie came from a rescue I know well, and she had been observed closely at the vets for a week before moving to the rescue, I only gave her a day to settle in before skipping quarantine to introduce her immediately. Lottie was considered to be a special case ~ she travelled home and settled in within hours, had been checked over and observed by vets for a week, and how vocal she was indicated how lonely she was as well as being a result of her previous "home".

The first time I introduced Lottie to Charlie & Tuppence didn't go well. To begin with I let only Tuppence out for floor time and lifted the lid off Lottie's cage so she could jump in and out as she pleased. I wanted to let her come out of her cage at her own pace rather than taking away a secure base she could escape to.
To start off, Tuppence jumped into the cage to help herself to some hay and veggies I had given Lottie. Lottie hid in her pigloo while Tuppy looked around the cage a little and had a bite to eat. Eventually Lottie ventured out a little to get some food. Tuppence started to show minor signs of dominance towards Lottie, so I took both pigs out on the floor so they could start establishing dominance in a larger area.

Tuppy was thorougly unimpressed with this strange pig trying to befriend her, and began lunging at Lottie and chasing her away. Lottie was so desperate to make friends, having never had guinea company before, that she kept coming back to Tuppy despite the frequent lunges.

Eventually it got to the stage where Lottie could barely take one step without Tuppence lunging at her, so I put Tuppy back inside the cage while Lottie had floor time alone.
Things took a very unexpected turn when Charlie took against Tuppence, and some severe teeth chattering and chasing began in the cage. Charlie must have felt the tension in Tuppence, tried to warn away whatever had upset Tuppy, and Tuppy misinterpreted and started fighting Charlie. It took a good two hours, a plate of veggies plus a "Buddy Bath" to settle things between them.

We added a fourth level to the cage a few days after Lottie arrived home. We then blocked off the third and fourth levels so that we could move Lottie into the top half of the cage. Charlie and Tuppy were restricted to the two bottom levels.