Introducing two guinea pig?

[Lauren]

I have decided to get another guinea pig, for my current male luther. It will be another boy and i think that if i introduce them both properly then i should end up with two happy piggies. But sadly i only learn by doing so i need tips from peolple who have been introducing male guinea pigs, here are my questions:

1) They say it needs to be a place neither pig has been before, why is this? What happens if it is a place one pig has been before but the other hasn't?
2) Will i need two of everything (eg/ wamassageplanetottles)
3) Any tips to ensure i end up with two content guinea pigs?
4) Last but not least, is there a certain breed of pig that is more peaceful and calm and nice tempered, my current pig, Luther, is a swiss pig.

Thank you much in advance.

 

[Whatsupppp]

well what you wrote and the first answer seems to cover it. one question, i dont think you mentioned how old Luther is? if you put a dominant male guinea pig with another dominant male guinea pig than they could fight so you dont want that. if luther is an adult and is laid-back like you seem to explain rather than playful and outgoing (dominant type) than you dont want to buy a baby guinea pig thats to active because it will challenge for dominance and luther is bigger, so he'll get mad & they'll fight. your best bet is to put a laid back guinea pig with a dominant guinea pig, or a bigger guinea pig with a smaller one, and the bigger one be dominant, or they both be laid back that wait naturally by size luther would just be dominant. this is to prevent fighting. so if you go to adopt look for certain personalities of the pigs. goodluck

 

[xajforeverx]

1) it is best to introduce them in a neutral area because Guinea pigs are very Territorial especially males and if your male sees that another male is in 'his space' then he may fight or attack him. If you can, get a new cage and put it in an area of your garden or house that it hasn't been before so neither can be Territorial or have reason to fight. If you can't, give it an absolute clean out before introducing them

2) no, you won't need to replace water bottles - maybe clean out the food bowl to get rid of any scent, and fill the new or cleaned out cage with fresh bedding/newspaper e.t.c.

3)if you have any perfume drop a tiny amount onto each of the guinea pigs fur because if they smell the same they are less likely to be Territorial or fight because they know each others scent as their own. (this worked when introducing mine)

4) I would get another swiss if you can, but no, if you follow all the tips then the breed doesn't really matter as most guinea pig breeds have similar temperaments.

Also - a good tip, but not necessary, if you can neuter them both before the introduction it reduces the risk of fighting further.

I hope this helps and let us know how the introduction gets on! x