Companions are a wonderful thing, but when guinea pigs fight it can be very distressing for all. We get lots of calls about companions and although it is tempting to just go and buy the friendliest looking baby guinea pig you can find, PLEASE think carefully before you take the plunge. If your guinea pig is male, it can be more difficult than with a female. Guinea pigs have very different personalities. You may get lucky and find him a compatible companion straight away, but try to consider these points first.

1. If the proposed companion is a baby, we don’t want him to smell of his mother. He can be gently given a bath first.
2. Thoroughly clean your guinea pig's hutch so it doesn't smell of him. Guinea pigs do get quite territorial.
3. Space, space and more space is a huge advantage.
4. Wire divisions for both hutch and run are what we use for introductions.
5. Tunnels, shelves and hidey-holes can help for when the big day comes. Take the divider out of the run first, hutch last.
6. Two boys trying to mate? This is inevitable at first and not necessarily a problem. Fighting? This is always deemed as an incompatible introduction.
7. If your guinea pig is old, maybe he can spend his twilight years in an indoor cage, indoors with you. After all, YOU could be his companion, giving him lots of attention, chatter and cuddles.

Buttercup and Stripe

We are lucky with our companion introductions as we usually have at least 15 single adult males and new ones coming in all the time, so we are able to use a process of elimination with our introductions.

This is why only 10% of our residents never find a companion. When we are unable to find a suitable companion for one of our guinea pigs, the re-homing has to be indoors, in an indoor cage as part of the family NOT in the cellar next to the wine rack!