different guinea pig

Question
i have a really good and well-tempered guinea pig named burrito.  He seems really lonely and i think i should get him a friend.  Only problem is that i dont know if i can get a guinea pig from a different family or if i can get a guinea pig from the same family but a while after i have burrito.  The petsmart i went to in cheektowaga might have the same family guinea pigs but im not sure thats why i asked the question bout the same family.  PLEASE ANSWER THIS ASS SOON AS POSSIBLE.  I really my guinea pig to have a friend so please answer quickly.

THANKS<
JONNY

Answer
Jonny,

Sorry for just now getting back to you with a reply. Internet hasn't been working right for a few days and have been putting in some overtime at work.

It doesn't matter if you get Burrito a friend from the same family or not. All that really matters is that the friend for Burrito has the same well-temperament and is a little bit younger then Burrito.

Remember,when you bring home a new friend for an existing guinea pig, then BEFORE you try putting them together, you need to keep them apart for two to three weeks to make sure the new guinea pig does not have any medical problems which could be transmitted to the other.

If one is sick or has any parasites or fungal infections, you'll want to treat that one first, rather than risk spreading the condition to the other guinea pig.

Quarantine means keeping the guinea pigs in two different rooms, which of course requires two separate cages. If you bought a pet store cage and have since realized it's too small, you can use the cage for quarantine until the pigs can be introduced.

You should handle the new guinea pig last. You should wash your hands after handling the guinea pig. It's a good idea to keep a smock in the room with that guinea pig. That way you have less risk of transmitting parasites or other things on your clothing.

Examine your new guinea pig very closely and carefully while in quarantine. Look for signs of mites (scratching and hair loss). Mange mites are not visible to the naked eye. Look for lice, fleas, fungus (ringworm). Look for eye or nasal discharge, excessive sneezing, wheezing, loud breathing and more. If you suspect your new guinea pig is not well, please take it to a good vet as soon as possible. Do not delay. Guinea pigs can go downhill fast.

Typical problems with pet store guinea pigs are URIs (Upper Respiratory Infections), mange mites, fungal infections, scurvy, and pregnancy!

Have patience, take your time, always on neutral territory, and don't give up too soon. Brief words of wisdom for introducing guinea pigs.

You've honored the quarantine period, your new piggie is healthy and you are ready to introduce him or her to your Burrito.

What you don't want to do is plop the new guinea pig into your existing guinea pig's cage. Never try to introduce guinea pigs in one of their cages. Be prepared. This may happen in one afternoon or it may take months!

The initial introduction is done to determine how fast or prolonged the process will be. We also use this process when we are trying to find a good mate for someone else's guinea pig.

Get a large bath towel or two.

Put the towels on the couch (neutral, unfamiliar territory).
Spread them out over the middle of the couch.

Each person holding a pig, sits at opposite ends of the couch.
Make sure the towels are between you and there is a good amount of space (it helps to have a big couch!). Floor works, too. No other distractions.

Let the pigs find each other on their own time.
You may need to nudge them in the right direction. Have another towel handy to toss on the pigs if you need to separate them.

Let the games begin!
More often than not, pet owners want to break up guinea pigs exhibiting normal dominant behavior. Everyone looks worried and asks, "Is that normal?"

How long and what next?
Usually, the first 15 minutes is just getting acclimated to the new surroundings and the idea that there is another guinea pig there. It's the next 15 to 30 minutes that can get interesting. The nice thing about being on the couch is it makes it easy for them to run to you when they get uncomfortable. But, keep your interactions and interference to an absolute minimum.

Some guinea pigs will get along just great. Some will decide on peaceful co-existence right from the beginning. Some will act like long lost buddies! But, most will go through the standard dominance dance getting to know each other and trying to figure out who is going to be the boss of who. They must and will decide this. It may not be now, but it will get decided.

When to separate them? Serious blood is drawn or a wound is inflicted. Some nipping or minor biting can be quite normal. Even little tufts of hair in the mouth can be normal.

Some standard behavior is (any sex combination):

   Safe, non-combative, dominance behavior
   
   Rumblestrutting
   Butt sniffing
   Butt nudging
   Chasing
   Butt dragging (they are leaving their scent)
   Mounting (any which way: rear mount, head mount, side mount, flying leap mount!)
   Nose face-offs (higher in the air wins, one must lower their nose to be subservient to the other)
   Teeth chattering: a little (signal of dominance)
   Raised hackles (hair on the back of the neck and along the spine)

Posturing for possible attack, battle for dominance is escalating
   
   Teeth chattering: sustained (signal of anger, aggression, warning)
   Nips, light bites, may result in little tufts of fur in their teeth
   Wide yawn, but this is no yawn, they are showing their teeth
   Snorting (like a strong puff or hiss)

These behaviors may sound serious and they should be monitored VERY CLOSELY, BUT do NOT separate the pigs exhibiting this behavior, yet. This is when the average pet owner loses it and pulls the pig out. Most of the time, this behavior will continue for a while until one backs down.

Fighting with intent to harm
  
   Bite attacks are no longer warning nips, they are lunges with intent to harm.
   Combination of raised hackles, loud and angry teeth chattering, rumblestrutting in place with the head staying in one position while facing the other guinea pig doing the same thing. Usually a signal of a biting attack. But they may back down before they engage.
   Both pigs rear up on their haunches, face to face. This is a clear, brief signal of their intent to launch full attacks at each other. Separate if possible before the attack.
   Full battle. The pigs are locked together in a vicious ball of fur. This is very serious. Separate immediately, but be careful. Throw a towel over them and use a dustpan or something other than your hand to separate them. Unintended bites from their very sharp incisors can cause serious damage.

The best indicator to watch for on when to separate guinea pigs is the posturing of the nipping and bite attacks. If that gets more serious, that's the time to separate them. If blood is drawn, it's definitely time to stop that session. Hopefully, you can separate your guinea pigs before any serious harm is done.   

Alright I hope all that helps, at PetSmart the chances of getting another Guinea Pig that is of the same family as Burrito is pretty good but that chance slims down a lot if Burrito is only 3 months old.

I this helps and that everything works out,
           Take care,
               Jules