Choosing and Buying A Guinea Pig

By David Emery


One Guinea Pig, Two Guinea Pig, Three Guinea Pig, More

There are many people that believe that getting one guinea pig will do the trick for them, but in truth you are definitely going to need more than one.

The thing about guinea pigs is that they love to be with others of their kind. If they are not allowed that type of social interaction then you will find that they run into health issues.

Guinea pigs need attention, and if you have just one, your guinea pig is going to get lonely very fast, and cry for your attention more often. If he or she has a partner or playmate to keep them entertained, you don't have to spend quite as much time with them.

The Sex of the Matter

What genders should you get? Males? Females? Mixed? Or should you get more than two? That's definitely a good question! There are so many different combinations that you can consider.

If you can entertain one guinea pig and don't plan to purchase another, then you won't have a problem relating to gender. If you want a quiet pet, then you would probably do well to go with a female guinea pig.

Some people believe that male guinea pigs will fight to the death. This is not something that sounds pleasant, and even more so it is not reality.

Now if there isn't enough space in the cage they will fight, but so long as both guinea pigs have adequate space they will do just fine.

Another reason that two males will fight is due to the introduction of a female into their habitat. In this case they will fight over the female and the dominant guinea pig will win. When the fight is over, the loser will have to be taken out of the cage, as the dominant male will do it's best to make sure the weaker one does not survive.

Two females in the same cage will get along well, but you may find that they will 'bicker' a bit over food and water (Please men, no 'typical female' jokes!). Because of their docile nature, however, it's very unlikely that a major fight will break out.

A male and a female in the same cage will actually get along best. The female acknowledges that the male is dominant, and the male accepts the female as his, and act peacefully towards her.

This does make for a great combination, though many are going to find that it is a little bit too perfect. This isn't to say that it is a bad thing, because it isn't, but they will breed, and this is something that you will need to be prepared for.

During the eighteen days that a female guinea pig's cycle lasts, many baby guinea pigs can be born. They have a gestation period that lasts for two months. Even though this is longer than usual for a rodent, a guinea pig can give birth to many babies in that amount of time.

I'm Staring at my Guinea Pigs... Help!

Many pet stores will have at least one cage of guinea pigs, if not two or more. It's simply that guinea pigs give birth a lot, and there is a demand for the puppies they produce.

Now if you're planning to buy more than one, you should at least pick them from the same cage when choosing and buying guinea pigs. They will already be familiar with one another and be less likely to actually fight.




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