Male or Female guinea pig?

[mookie]

For those of you that remember my thread earlier this month...we are biting the bullet and getting DD a guinea pig for xmas. Now, my question is which is better? male? Female? I have been told by many that you should have 2 together, but could we really get away with just one, and if we do have just one, would a male or female be better for that? Thanks to everyone for all of your help!

 

[Aimros]

I had many guinea pigs while growing up. They are a lot of work, but also very cute and friendly. I started with two females. One passed away after only a year, so we adopted another female... who - SURPRISE! - was pregnant when we adopted her. She ended up having two babies, a male and female. I definitely prefered the females over the male, mostly because the male sprayed and we were told by our vet that it can be dangerous to try and neuter a small animal like a guinea pig.

Please read up on guinea pigs before you get them. Like I said, they are a lot of work - more so than a hamster or gerbil. We fed them twice a day, lettuce/carrots/apples, etc. and they always had hay/pellets/fresh water. We cleaned their cages at least 3 times a week otherwise the smell was unbearable. And if all possible, try and adopt from a local shelter... I think one of the reasons my first guinea pig passed away so young was that she was bought from a not-very reputable pet store.

And if you can, definitely get 2! Guinea pigs are very social animals and enjoy having others of their kind.

Hopefully I didn't scare you away! Guinea pigs are great... I was 10 when I first had them and the last passed away probably 6-7 years later. I wouldn't ever get them again (not even if my kids beg me... I'd probably get them a cat or dog instead, haha), but it was a fun experience.

 

[Aimros]

Sorry, I forgot to mention above...

two or more guinea pigs was always better, because they are very social and tend to get lonely. I've heard that two males together is a no-no because they will fight. We always kept two females together and they were the best of friends!

Our male guinea pig always had his own cage right next to the others so they could "talk" (and trust me, they talk a lot!).