When you first bring home a new guinea pig, they may feel nervous and uncomfortable with an unfamiliar environment. It may also be the first time they have been separated from their companions, surrounded by unfamiliar sounds and smells.
Here are a few simple steps you can try to ease the tension of guinea pigs coming to their new home.
Before taking your guinea pig home, prepare his nest and put some suitable accessories and food in the cage.
Give your guinea pig their familiar kind of food and nests and slowly let him experience new things. Be sure to provide a bed made of guinea pig paper, do not use cedar chips or pine wood chips.
For the first day or two, you'll have to cover the guinea pig's cage with a thin cloth so he'll have more privacy and be more focused on exploring and adapting to his new home.
Don't rush to reach your new guinea pig. Before you hug him and caress him, give him a day or two to settle into a new environment.
While your guinea pig is adjusting to your new home, don't let friends and guests touch your guinea pig.
Once your new guinea pig is comfortable and relaxed in the new nest, you are ready to get closer to the guinea pig, and you can try to gently pick him up first.
Multiple guinea pigs
Guinea pigs are social animals and enjoy living with their peers. Even so, even if you find a companion for your guinea pigs, don't rush to put them together.
Take your new guinea pig home and isolate him from the original guinea pig for about two weeks to avoid the spread of the disease. That is to say, you should first keep him alone in another cage, and do not let him have contact with the guinea pigs he had previously kept for the time being. During the quarantine period, it is important to ensure that the new guinea pigs eat and drink normally and behave actively. After having the vet physically examine him, you can introduce him to another guinea pig.
The introduction process should be slow, so that the guinea pigs are familiar with each other's smell. If they are brought into contact too quickly, they may fight and even reject each other.
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