Bonding Guinea Pigs: Everything You Need to Know

We know, you’re excited to introduce your new piggies to each other! However, there’s a couple of things you need to consider before introducing a pair or group of guinea pigs. It’s important this introduction goes smoothly as you want your piggies to be furry besties for life.

When introducing new guinea pigs into the mix, it’s important they have enough room. A small cage that is attempting to house two guinea pigs can sour relationships. Upgrading their cage or hutch to something large will make sure they have enough space for alone time.

Most guinea pigs become very closely bonded once they develop a relationship and may cuddle up to one another now and then, but they need the option to sleep or rest apart - especially at the start.

Housing several guinea pigs together means they’ll need extra feeding or water stations. One bottle is ample for a pair, but for larger groups it’s best to have multiple drinking bottles.

Before their introduction, it’s important for parents to consider the sex of each guinea pig. If you don’t want your group growing, it’s best not to house unneutered males with females. While it’s possible to house males together, if they haven’t been neutered it can cause a lot of tension so may need slower meets to make sure they’re happy together.

Guinea pigs are social animals and prefer not to live alone. They are happiest in pairs or in small groups where they can bond with others. As prey animals, guinea pigs can be timid and very flighty when kept alone.

The average guinea pig lives between 5 and 7 years, but some may live longer. If you’re unsure about pairing your piggy you may wonder, how long do guinea pigs live alone? Guinea pigs are naturally social animals, and whilst they may survive living independently, their happiness and wellbeing would be heavily affected which could in turn, affect their lifespan. They partake in a lot of social activities like grooming, so when kept alone can be very skittish and lonely. That’s why it’s recommended to give your guinea pig a friend or two for company!

 If you have a pair of guinea pigs and lose one, you can reintroduce them to a new friend as they will be feeling the loss of their little buddy, especially if they’re already used to living with company.

Introducing guinea pigs should be done carefully and gradually. Some parents may worry they’re going too slowly, but it’s always better to take things nice and easy. If you rush the process and put them together too quickly it can set them backwards and ruin whatever bond they’ve been building up.

Always begin introductions through a barrier to avoid any injuries. It’s also important to note guinea pigs should never be introduced face to face, which is why it can take several weeks. Following our introduction steps can be the start of a special bonding:

Ideally you will need two separate enclosures to begin introductions. Both guinea pigs should be healthy before their pairing. House their different cages within eye line of each other to help them get used to the sight of one another. You can also swap their cage furnishings and toys between cages, so they can start to experience each other’s scent.

When they are comfortable and showing less interest in the items you’re swapping, you can move their cages closer together. They can interact but still have a small gap of an inch or so between them to keep both safe.

Once you see lots of positive interactions between both guinea pigs, they can meet face to face. Rather than allowing them to share a cage right away, you should take them to neutral ground like a nice big run where they can meet each other with no barrier.

Continue giving them time together daily until they can spend longer periods together and look comfortable. Guinea pigs who are happy together will start to spend time resting next to each other.

Once they’re happy to spend time together, you can safely move them in together. They will still need to be monitored while their living arrangement is new but if they’ve gotten along so far, you should have yourself a newly bonded pair of piggies!

At every step of the process, you should be watching for positive behaviour of guinea pigs and body language to let you know that it’s ok to continue introductions. Guinea pigs who are getting to know each other should start to be able to eat together. They will greet each other with nice high-pitched squeaks, like the ones they often greet their parents with, especially at mealtimes.

Guinea pigs who are comfortable around each other will start to rest together and groom each other. They rarely feel comfortable grooming those they don’t know very well so grooming is one of the best signs that your pets are bonding well. Excitable behaviours like bouncing on the spot, also called popcorning because they spring up like popcorn is a good sign.

Some guinea pigs take longer to bond than others and it’s perfectly normal to have the odd falling out during the process. It’s important to keep an eye out for aggressive behaviour, like biting, raised hackles or intense teeth chattering. If you spot this behaviour between your piggies, it’s time to separate them.

Guinea pigs can fight, and they can do quite a bit of damage with their sharp teeth. Typically their fights stem from competition for dominance, incompatibility of pairing, illness or lack of space or food. They indicate their discontent in a variety of ways, from dragging their bottoms on the floor to mark their scent to snorting and chattering.

Keep your eyes on your guinea pig’s face during the introduction to spot any signs of discontent. Any body language like chattering teeth or baring open mouths towards each other are signs you should not progress meets. You may even have to take introductions back a step if they’re not comfortable.

Some guinea pigs may just need to spend more time apart and watching each other from a distance before they’re ready to be friends. If you put them in together and there’s a lot of chasing, this is also a sign that you might need to take things back a step.

When guinea pigs aren’t happy, they will often hide away from each other and not spend a lot of time in each other’s company or line of sight if they feel uncomfortable.

One little squabble doesn’t mean it will never work, it just means you should scale back a little and give them more time, it could still build into the best of friendships if given the time.

When guinea pigs are newly moved in together it’s important to keep an eye on their behaviour to make sure they continue to live in harmony. Providing multiple water sources and scatter feeding them will allow for lots of personal space. While still encouraging them to live peacefully together until they’re bonded enough. It might take them a while before they become the best of friends but living together will still enrich and benefit their lives as long as there’s no fighting.

There are recommended pairing combinations between guinea pigs:

-        Females get on really well in pairs and groups.

-        Avoid a trio of male guinea pigs as it’s unlikely they’ll get on.

If your guinea pig pair is mixed, the male should be neutered to avoid unwanted pregnancies, and introducing a second male into the pair is not recommended as it may encourage competitive fighting.

Due to female piggies being easier to bond, it all depends on the characteristics of the third guinea pig. There’s a chance they may bond but also a chance they may not. You have more of a chance of a successful integration of a third piggy if they are a subordinate female or a neutered make.

The easiest way to bond more than two guinea pigs is by bonding a neutered male with one or more female piggies. This is how guinea pigs form a herd, and therefore occurs most naturally to them!

If your bonded guinea pigs are separated, and for a considerable period of time, it’s highly likely they could lose their bond or become depressed. That’s why it’s important to keep them together as much as possible, and only separate them if it’s absolutely necessary.

For everything you need to make introducing your guinea pig to a new friend go as smoothly as possible and all of your other guinea pig necessities, take a look at our wide range of stock online and in store.