I have a baby guinea pig and am able to get her a playmate.How do i know if its the right match before hand?

Question

her name is meimei and soon i will be going to school but i am afraid that the new guinea pig and meimei wont like eachother and wont be happy.

Answer 1

My husband owns a pet store, and he sometimes allow customers to bring their pets or children to interact with the "prospective" animal.  This helps him decide if the animal is going to the appropriate family, and helps the family decide if the animal is the right pet for them.

Talk to the manager of the shop or store that you wish to purchase the guinea pig from.  See if they will allow you to bring in your meimei to interact with their guinea pigs.

Answer 2

If you were to get another guinea pig get the same s*x. I assume your guinea pig is a female so get another female around the same age, please do not get a male.

Make sure you have time for proper introductions, Quarentine your new guinea pig for 2-3 weeks as to catch any illnesses the new one might have (you don't want meimei to get sick). Once quarentine is over, introduce them on neutral territory. Clean the cage & anything in it with vinegar to remove meimei's smell.

Make sure you have a big enough cage (minimum cage size requirements for 2 guinea pigs is 7.5 square feet)

Go to your local shelter/rescue and see if they have any available. Please do not get one from a pet store!

Answer 3

All guinea pigs are different. You get a different reaction from all of them, but to be safe, you should do what the second answerer said.

If your current piggy is a baby, there shouldn't be any major conflict because she may not understand what is going on yet.

Every set of guinea pigs is different, but there is one thing for sure-give them time, and they'll grow to like each other. When I got my first guinea pig, it was about six months before I got her a companion, but when I did, there was no problem at all.

They were cuddling and sleeping right next to each other in no time at all. I've had many guinea pigs and introductions seem to blow over after about two weeks at the most.

Naturally, guinea pigs are herd animals-it's in their nature to live with other animals and socialize. It is bad for their health in many ways if they are alone.  

"Try to match up a dominant with a subordinate guinea pig. It helps to have a feel for their personalities. What if you have no idea about the personalities? An older with a younger guinea pig is a good option (larger to smaller one). They usually establish a natural hierarchy with the younger one being subservient to the older one. You just need to be careful that you don't have a very feisty younger guinea pig with a very laid back older guinea pig. In that case, the younger one may challenge the older one's position as 'alpha' guinea pig (or top guinea pig or the boss guinea pig)."

Just know that by getting a friend for your piggy, you are doing the right thing for her.  

Good luck :)