Is it okay for two female guinea pigs to live together without a male?

Thank you for your question about your guinea pig! In general, yes, guinea pigs are very social animals and thrive with a companion. However, there are exceptions to that general rule. To be able to tell if your guinea pig is okay without a companion, there are a few things to do. First is to ensure that your guinea pig is healthy and in a good body weight - this can be done by taking your guinea pig to a veterinarian for a wellness exam. It will provide you with a baseline for health, and then you can continue to monitor your guinea pig at home. Once you have determined that your guinea pig is healthy, then you can evaluate its behavior. If it hides a lot, or doesn't come out to see you or make noise when food is being provided, this may indicate that it needs a companion. Guinea pigs that are comfortable being alone will interact with their humans much like they do with other guinea pigs - lots of excitement! Also monitor the food intake - guinea pigs should eat lots of hay, a bit of pellets and vitamin C supplementation, and a bit of produce. If you are seeing a decrease in appetite, this may be due to a guinea pig being shy or uncomfortable (and can also be a sign of illness!). Lastly, ensure that they are producing lots of fecal pellets - they should be moist, of a decent size, and a huge quantity! I hope this gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding a potential guinea pig. It is perfectly fine to get one pig if you can give him or her plenty of social interaction. I typically only recommend housing same sex pigs together if they have been raised together. Otherwise pigs of the opposite gender or those who have not been raised together should be housed separately. I think they make great little pets. Enjoy!

It is best to have two of the same sex. If you have one of each you are going to end up with LOTS of babies and that is not needed. This article may help you more: ( http://hssv.convio.net/site/DocServer/Guinea_Pig_Pairs.pdf?docID=3209 )

Unfortunately we cannot diagnose pregnancy without examining a pet in person. If they were always supervised together and you did not see any mating occur then not likely, but if they were unsupervised it is always a possibility. If you want to know for certain a visit to the vet is needed.

Based on the behavior you are describing I would not recommend housing these pigs together right now. The older pig is exhibiting some signs of dominance which can quickly turn to aggression. I would recommend allowing them to interact and play with each other under your supervision. If you ever notice that these behaviors stop then you can try housing them together. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

As long as the cage is large enough and you introduce them gradually, you should be able to house 3 boars together. Be sure to provide additional bowls, toys and hides to prevent resource protection. Monitor for signs of aggression and separate them if necessary.

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your loss of your guinea pig. Its hard to lose them. I would agree that they do enjoy company. You may try to get a similar aged pig. Be careful with the introduction as there may be some fighting. Keep the new pig in a separate cage and swap cages daily to get them use to the scent. Then after a week or so, introduce them in neutral territory. Do not leave them alone and unsupervised until you are sure they are not going to fight. Make sure to get another female. Hope this helps!