Wayfarin
Arachnoknight
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2022
- Messages
- 234
Hey folks!
The question I'm asking here is probably out of curiosity mostly.
It came to my mind because we have a single male guinea pig. He's oppressive towards females and aggressive towards males, and neutering him won't change that.
Our current consensus is that we should just keep him alone. He takes well to human interaction, better than any guinea pig that we've kept in communally. He's currently our only guinea pig.
I've heard that some people keep male mice with soft-fur rats to prevent breeding. They seem to be able to bond somewhat, even though they are not even in the same genus.
I was wondering if something like this might sometimes be true of guinea pigs. In particular, I was wondering if chinchillas and degus could have value for decent companionship.
Now, I'm aware that different species of rodent should not be allowed to share the same living quarters 99% of the time.
Accidents can happen, fights over space can occur, or one animal can eat too much of the other's food and become nutritionally unwell.
My question is only referring to out-of-the-cage floor times and play times. Would it be benefit, or for the worst, if guinea pigs and chinchillas/degus were allowed to roam together?
Perhaps it would be acceptable, but would it be of value to the guinea pig?
Please note that I do not have degus or chinchillas. This is sort of just out of curiosity.
I know that there are many cases of interspecies companionships.
Just because two species can't communicate doesn't mean that the presence of another species is nothing but a stress factor.
Also, perhaps the most important form of interspecies communication for them, which is fear or anger, CAN be communicated, because both will teeth-chatter when displeased.
Before anyone freaks out, please note that I don't take guinea pigs lightly, so I'm asking this not out of an irrational selfishness. I don't currently keep different animals with guinea pigs,
so if I believe that interspecies tolerance is possible, it's not just to justify the way I keep my pets. I just think that this is one of those things that turns people off without being proven false.
Any input is free to be given, for other people's benefit as well.
Thanks! God bless!
The question I'm asking here is probably out of curiosity mostly.
It came to my mind because we have a single male guinea pig. He's oppressive towards females and aggressive towards males, and neutering him won't change that.
Our current consensus is that we should just keep him alone. He takes well to human interaction, better than any guinea pig that we've kept in communally. He's currently our only guinea pig.
I've heard that some people keep male mice with soft-fur rats to prevent breeding. They seem to be able to bond somewhat, even though they are not even in the same genus.
I was wondering if something like this might sometimes be true of guinea pigs. In particular, I was wondering if chinchillas and degus could have value for decent companionship.
Now, I'm aware that different species of rodent should not be allowed to share the same living quarters 99% of the time.
Accidents can happen, fights over space can occur, or one animal can eat too much of the other's food and become nutritionally unwell.
My question is only referring to out-of-the-cage floor times and play times. Would it be benefit, or for the worst, if guinea pigs and chinchillas/degus were allowed to roam together?
Perhaps it would be acceptable, but would it be of value to the guinea pig?
Please note that I do not have degus or chinchillas. This is sort of just out of curiosity.
I know that there are many cases of interspecies companionships.
Just because two species can't communicate doesn't mean that the presence of another species is nothing but a stress factor.
Also, perhaps the most important form of interspecies communication for them, which is fear or anger, CAN be communicated, because both will teeth-chatter when displeased.
Before anyone freaks out, please note that I don't take guinea pigs lightly, so I'm asking this not out of an irrational selfishness. I don't currently keep different animals with guinea pigs,
so if I believe that interspecies tolerance is possible, it's not just to justify the way I keep my pets. I just think that this is one of those things that turns people off without being proven false.
Any input is free to be given, for other people's benefit as well.
Thanks! God bless!