Guinea pigs are highly social group animals! A person can never replace an adequate social partner, no matter how intensely and benevolently he or she deals with the little pig. The South American rodents can only live out their species-specific behavior among conspecifics. Anyone who has observed a group of guinea pigs for any length of time can have no doubt about that.

Group of guinea pigs - who goes with whom?

Once you've decided, after careful consideration, that you want to live with guinea pigs, it's all about putting the right team together.
First of all, you should be clear about whether you want to buy a one-time group of guinea pigs that will feel comfortable for the next few years, or whether you might want to add an animal at a later date or even want to have offspring.
Do you already have experience with keeping guinea pigs? Do you enjoy just observing the behavior of your four-legged roommates? Then the purchase of a group of three or more pigs is worthwhile.

Or is it most important that your child benefits from dealing with the first pets and can build up close contact with them and take them out regularly? In this case, a team of two male animals is also ideal.

meeting of strange animals

Before putting two animals that are new to each other together, it's a good idea to completely muck out and rearrange the cage to minimize any existing odors from the animal that has already lived in the cage. It is advisable to offer a large hill of hay to crawl into. It can also be useful to spray the Meeris with a little water or rub them with cucumber juice or fennel tea. You can also rub the rear of the newcomer with the group's soiled bedding. This reduces foreign smells that could cause aggression.

Of course, despite all these measures, the little pigs immediately notice that they don't know each other yet; It's about reducing the home advantage of the established players and confusing all the animals a bit, because in an unfamiliar situation you tend to stick together.

Getting used to a partner pig can be problematic, especially for animals that have had to be alone for a longer period of time (over a year).

You should try it out in the interest of the animal, maybe you can negotiate with a guinea pig supplier to borrow a guinea pig on a trial basis.

TIP:
It does not always have to be a group of females. Males can also coexist harmoniously by observing various points. Changed weight, determined by regular checks, provides information about possible stress, illness or pregnancy. Unhappy guinea pigs lose weight. Regular weighing thus provides information on their well-being.

The rooster in the basket!

The natural group structure of guinea pigs undoubtedly corresponds to keeping one (castrated) male and one or better several females.
Keeping two uncastrated or castrated males is also a recommended option, especially since there is usually a surplus of males.
By the way, it's a misconception that male squeakers "smell more" than females.
On the other hand, due to the large individual differences, males are often more trusting and calmer than females.
Males are not quite as easy to socialize as females.

assemble males

It is advisable to choose two brothers or males who have known each other since they were children. The ideal case is to be able to choose animals that obviously already "like" each other.

It is best to either put two young bucks together or an adult sea boar with a young one. If you socialize two adults, the risk of serious arguments is greatest!
A sufficiently large cage is particularly important for this form of socialization: a self-made cage with a second level and places to retreat for both animals is best.
Offering cottages is less recommended. However, they should at least have two inputs and outputs. Cozy tubes , hammocks, wooden or wicker tubes with two openings are more suitable as alternatives.

Better neutered?

If two males absolutely don't get along, castrating one or both of the animals is usually useless! The bucks should be separated when there are bloody fights and an animal is clearly suffering, for example losing weight or constantly having to flee. Many guinea pig lovers report good experiences with the administration of Bach flower emergency drops to reduce stress and promote harmony in crisis situations. Some of the quarrels can then also live together in a kind of "truce": there is no great harmony, but there is no fighting (anymore).

TIP:
Putting together all-female groups is of course also an option that usually does not cause any problems. However, dominance disputes can affect group peace.
Castrated males usually bring harmony to a group of females. The bucks should be castrated to avoid offspring.