Igor's PLAY - Guinea pigs

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

What is it?

        Concept: an other cavy, just like you.
        Material: Yes, what kind of silly question is this? Hair, teeth, nails, ears and lots of poos.
        Do-it-Yourself-factor?: Ow help, another one...*swallow*...well, if a guinea pig dad and a guinea pig mommy like each other.. *coughcough*
I think I will explain this differently. As future guinea pig owner (slave) you have several options. For all options this applies: take a close look at the guinea pigs condition(s). Is the cage clean? Are food bowls, hay and water clean and at hand? No males and females together? Because if that is the case, there is a big chance the females are pregnant, guinea pigs are fertile from their 4th wheek. There should also be no rabbits together with the guinea pigs. That is not good, we speak a different language. We need different feed and guinea pigs can accidentally be kicked by rabbits. Also watch the guinea pigs themselves, are they active? Are their eyes and coat shining? If that is not the case it’s your choice. Saving the guinea pigs is not a bad thing to do. Do realise you stimulate the owner to continue his practices. I will shortly discuss the options.
        The shelter: the number one of options! There are many sweet guinea pigs in shelters waiting for a loving care taker. 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. My slave is very satisfied with the aftercare she has received from my shelter.
        Pet shop: I think most guinea pigs come from pet shops. When they are taken care of in a proper manner, i don’t think that is a problem. Not all pet shops are very informed about what guinea pigs need. And guinea pigs from a pet shop are not stronger or better then pigs from a shelter.
        Breeder: Breeders usually have very pretty cavies of a certain kind. Good breeders have a lot of love for their guinea pigs and lots of knowledge about them. At these breeders guinea pigs have 1 or 2 litters a year and only when they are more then a certain weight. When you want this pay attention that the breeder really has a heart for his or her animals and doesn't just breed them.
        Home-bred litters: Sometimes guinea pigs are born at home. That can be possible when the pet shop hasn’t sold you two sows or two boars or if the owner chooses for that. 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. There is also a certain risk involved. Sometimes the mommies do not survive. And the vet bills can run up high.

Variations:

        Two or more sows: Sows are relatively easy to be paired up. Herds of sows are quite common (make sure you have enough space). Sometimes there is some bitching among them, but usually this will not get out of control.
        One adult guinea pig with a little one of the same sex: this way of pairing up has a pretty good chance of success. When Yaya and Suus where little ones and joined the Winky gang, Lotje’s maternal instincts were awoken and she has lovingly raised them. Do keep in mind that when the little one reaches adulthood, there can still be a struggle for power.
        Two boars: Two boars together can sometimes be harder. When they fight they are often a little bit more aggressive then sows. But to speak in Jan the Boar’s words there are so many sweet boars in shelters, give them a chance. More boars is even harder and is not advised (but not impossible). When you have a pair of boars, it is unwise to expose them to sows. Then they can still start to fight at the scent of sows. But boars can be put together, see: barmy boars My slave has a weakness for boars. According to her they are just a little bit sweeter and more human oriented. I do not have any scientific proof for that… but I secretly think so too ;)
        One boar with one or more sows: Boars are extremely convenient to put in with a group of sows, in order to keep the peace among them. Of course only castrated boars (helped-boars).
        Cage neighbours: When you do not succeed in pairing them up, this is always an option. See it this way: maybe you are not waiting for a cage mate who eats your veggies, but having a nice chat through the cage bars 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 together, sleeping, wheeking, fight about veggies, exploring the room together..

Dangerous?:

The most dangerous are the introductions. That is not always easy (I 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: Introductions. 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 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! Because with a boar like Hercules (?), which is presumably harder, it went perfect. Well it just tells us that matching characters are also important when pairing up, 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 that is cool.