Tips for introducing male guinea pigs?

[Lauren]

Tomorow is my birthday and i have been promised another male guinea pig for my current male pig, Luther. I am very excited, i want to pick a healthy piggy who is not dominent so when they are introduced i do not have too many problems.

Please post all the tips in you have or can think of, i want as many answers as possible! Any tips will help

 

[Sandra L.]

At the pet store/guinea pig shelter, try holding it to see if it is calm.
Also see the behaviour towards the other guinea pigs around it to see if he is 'dominant' or not.
Go to google and search for signs of a healthy guinea pig.

Good luck on your new guinea pig!!!

 

[niki]

Congrates!
To solve dominance problems it is a good idea to get two of everything. This will solve possible fights over hide aways or food bowls, etc. Also, make sure the cage is big enough for the subordinate male to get away from the dominating male, and for the two of them to have their territories. A 2 by 4 foot cage would be minimum for two guinea pigs~ bigger is better. If the cage is to small the two guinea pigs will begin fighting and will become more stressed. There is also a higher chance of illness in a small cage. I would recommend a C&C cage; you can design the size and shape of you guinea pigs' cage and personalize it too! The good thing about these cages is not only can you personalize it for your piggies, i think they are much easier to clean and have much better air circulation than an aquarium or store bought cage. C&C cages are made of storage cubes and corroplast; corroplast is like a plastic version of card board. You can get storage cubing at a local wal-mart, K-mart, Target, or you can buy it online. The corroplast you can buy at a local hardware store or also online. To see what corroplast, storage cubing, and the finished project and how to make click on these links:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm
http://www.guineapigcages.com/howto.htm

A checklist to a Happy guinea pig here are a few requirements~
- 2 nest boxes are better than one; one should be large enough for all of the guinea pigs to fit in and then another smaller.
- Places to hide from dominate animal
- A variety of toys
- Chewable items for wearing down teeth for proper length such as hay, wood (untreated), etc. (not plastic)

A health Check~
- The incisors are of equal length and growing normally
- The cheek teeth (premolars and molars) are not visibly misaligned
- The position of the feet is correct, and the toenails are straight (the older the animal the more thick and irregular the toenails grow so don't be concerned about curved toenails)
- The coat is glossy and dense with no bald spots. (should be bald behind the ears)
- The eyes are clear and clean and not stuck shut
- The ears are clean and the nose is pink; no discharge.
- The anal region is clean and not caked with feces.

Make sure you do a quarantine for 2 to 3 weeks before you put your new Piggy with Luther. It is also a good idea to adopt a guinea pig from a shelter, there are many guinea pigs looking for a forever home. If you do go to a pet store double check the guinea pigs health, cage's cleanness, and gender. If you need help with the gender here is a link:
http://www.cavyspirit.com/sexing.htm

When introducing them, first set them on the floor or a safe place other than the cage. Let them greet each other and sniff each other. Once they get to know each other, put them in the cage and let them figure out the pecking order. For quarantine and other info go to: http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm#Neuter
Hope I helped Good Luck!