This time in PLAY, THE indispensable guinea pig accessory! This is suitable for every event; whether you're giving a wheeking concert, going for dinner, are lounging or running laps around your cage, everything is more fun with two of you (or more).

What is it?

        Concept: another cavy, just like you.
        Material: Yes, what kind of silly question is this? Er...Hair, teeth, nails, ears and lots of poo.
        Do-it-Yourself-factor?: Ow help, another one...*swallow*...well, when a guinea pig daddy and a guinea pig mommy like each other.. *coughcough*
I think I'd better explain this in a different way. As a future guinea pig owner (slave) you have several options. For all options it is important to take a close look at the guinea pig and its surroundings. Is the cage clean? Are food bowls, hay and water clean and at hand? No males and females housed together? Because if this is the case, there is a big chance that the females are pregnant. Guinea pigs can be fertile from their 4th wheek. Also, rabbits shouldn't be housed together with guinea pigs. We speak a different language, we need different pellets and guinea pigs can accidentally be kicked by rabbits. It is also important to carefully watch the guinea pigs; are they active? Are their eyes and coat shiny? No crusty bits in ears, noses or somewhere else? What you do when the guinea pig or it's surroundings are not up to standard, is up to you. Saving a guinea pig is never a bad thing to do. But do realise you stimulate the owner to continue his practices.
Okay, now that is out of the way, I will shortly discuss the options.
        The shelter: My number one of all options! There are many sweet guinea pigs in shelters waiting for a loving slave. Some shelter pigs are a bit more scared because they have experienced some things, but most of us have been cuddled a lot by the sweet volunteers and we all deserve a chance. The volunteers usually have a lot of experience in pairing up and medical problems. And they usually are very good at giving you advise. I was born in a shelter and I'm very social, handsome and healthy.
        Pet shop: I guess most guinea pigs come from pet shops. When they are bred and taken care of in a proper manner, I don't really think that is a problem. However, not all pet shops are very well informed about what guinea pigs need. I would also like to point out that guinea pigs from a pet shop are not stronger or better than pigs from a shelter.
        Breeder: Breeders usually have very beautiful guineas of a certain breed. Good breeders have a lot of love for their guinea pigs and lots of knowledge about them. Good breeders know that guinea pigs ideally have no more than 1 or 2 litters a year, and only when they are heavy and healthy enough. When you want a guinea pig from a breeder make sure that the breeder really is in it for the sake of the animals and doesn't just breed them for the money or the thrill of collecting.
        Home-bred litters: Sometimes guinea pigs are born at home. This sometimes happens when the pet shop employees made a mistake and didn't sell you two sows or two boars. And it can also be the case that an owner chooses to have a litter. If you are one of these people, make sure you will find potential new owners in advance and keep in mind that if you cannot find anyone that you will have to take care of them anyway. Don't breed a female (for the first time) when she is older than a year or younger than 4 months. When a sow hasn't had babies after a year, her hipbones become too inflexible and this might prove to be very dangerous. When she is too young (usually weighing less than 700 grams) you are asking too much from her. She needs the energy to become a healthy pig herself, instead of investing it in her babies. Even if they are the perfect age, there is always a certain risk involved. Do keep in mind that mommies sometimes do not survive and that the vet bills can run up really high.

Variations:

        Two or more sows: It is relatively easy to pair up sows. Herds of sows are quite common (but make sure you have enough space). Sometimes there are little tiffs among them, but usually this will not get out of control.
        One adult guinea pig with a little one of the same sex: pairing up pigs like this has a pretty high success rate. When Yaya and Suus where little ones and joined the Winky gang, Lotje's maternal instincts kicked in and she lovingly raised them. Do keep in mind that when the little one reaches adulthood (usually around an age of 6 months), there can still be a struggle for power.
        Two boars: Pairing up two boars can sometimes be hard. When boars fight they are often a little bit more aggressive then sows. Pairing up more than two boars is even harder and is not advised (but not impossible). Also, when you have a pair of boars, it is unwise to expose them to sows. The scent of sows can cause them to start a fight.
But boars can live peacefully together (see: link barmy boars) My slave has a real soft spot for boars. According to her they are just a little bit sweeter and more human oriented than sows. I do not have any scientific proof for that… but I secretly agree ;-)
        One boar with one or more sows: It is extremely convenient to put a boar in with a group of sows. Boars really help to keep the peace among them. Of course, this only goes for castrated boars. Because you dont want a baby boom in your herd.
        Neighbours: When you do not succeed in pairing pigs up, this is always an option. See it this way: maybe you might not want a roommate who eats your veggies and follows you around, but having a nice chat through the cage bars with the neighbour makes your day just a little bit less boring.

Target audience?

Apart from the occasional hermit guinea pig, this is fun for every guinea pig. Eating, sleeping and wheeking together, fighting about veggies, exploring the room together..

Dangerous?:

The most dangerous are the introductions. That is not always easy (We know everything about that, right Suus?) Make sure you do this gradually. When someone puts an utter stranger in your living room, you would not like that either. My slave has used the instructions on this website when Suus and me were hard to match: Cavyspirit. We had a bath together, brrr.

User experiences?

        Suus: I love doing racing matches with my cage mates. Of course they should listen to me because I am the alpha pig. Yaya is like my sister. We do bicker sometimes, but I can’t do without her. Igor is cool. Those curls are very comfy to sleep on..
        Yaya: I like all guinea pigs! I have never met one that I did not like. I also love barbering them and give them the perfect haircut! I loved auntie Lotje. When we were introduce I liked her so much I started washing her ears straight away.
        Igor: In the beginning Suus and I did not get on so well. That wasn’t my fault! In the shelter where I used to live I could be paired up with anyone. Well it just goes to show us that matching characters are also important when pairing up pigs, not just age and sex. But Suus and I have put our differences aside and now I follow her around everywhere. Suus is such a daredevil, she dares to do anything. I think she is very cool.

Leave a message for professor Igor

This PLAY is a translation of the original Dutch version that can be seen on "the diary of a guinea pig gang"-website from the Guinea pig Rescue in Posterholt (the netherlands). If you'd rather read this in Dutch go to: Play Cavias
Tip: if you are able to understand Dutch, check this page regularly, the guinea pig gang members write to each other regularly and it's sometimes funny, sometimes scary or sad but always entertaining: Dagboek van een caviabende