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New piggies (with pics!)
Well, we took the plunge. DH and I had been on Petfinder (dangerous website!) and noticed that a shelter not too far from us had pairs of bonded guinea pigs that needed homes. I wasn't totally sure if I was ready yet, but we drove down to take a look and well, we took home a pair of girls.
Apparently this pair had been in the shelter for a while. The older girl was originally brought in with a case of mites and two abscesses. She was violent and tried to bite anyone that touched her. The shelter got her to a vet and all her ills have been healed. They fostered her and loved on her until she became super friendly and stole many hearts. According to the volunteers, she didn't get adopted right away because they wanted her to go to an experienced pig owner and not many of those come around looking to adopt.
The younger girl didn't have as much of a story, I guess she was just super nervous and the moment they put the two of them in the cage together they bonded and the older girl calmed her right down. Both girls needed a buddy so it was a match made in heaven.
Picture time. Both girls have such interesting colors. It's hard to get the right idea until you see both sides.
Lola (I call her Lulu) Lady of the house, she's a real diva and considers herself guardian of the cage, any food in the cage and Jillian.
Lola Right Side
Lola left side
Jillian (I call her Jilly) is super smart, loves to run around and explore, but is also very cautious. She tends to figure things out that other pigs have to be shown.
Jilly right side
Jilly left side
Re: New piggies (with pics!)
We still say that to our cats on a regular basis. We seriously don't get it because they're the sweetest cats I've ever known.
With guinea pigs unfortunately there are two stories that repeat themselves more often than I can bear to hear. One is that they are purchased as starter pets for children and the kids lose interest. Often within weeks.
The other is that people purchase them in pairs, the pet store gets the sex wrong and people get in over their heads either with too many baby pigs or pigs that don't get a long and fight. That is most likely what happened to Lola. The abscesses were believed to be bite marks from the other pig that was surrendered with her.
Can guinea pigs be spayed/neutered or is it considered a waste of money since they have a relatively short life span (in comparison to a cat or dog)?
They are precious!
They can be, but it's only necessary if you're keeping a male/female pair. Same sex pairs don't benefit in any way because it doesn't alter behavior the way it does in other animals. Guinea pigs will always establish a hierarchy and exhibit dominant behavior.
There's also a greater risk of post-op complications than with other animals. This is mainly due them being so small.