So lately in my herd of guinea pigs, there has been some drama - some squeaking, some rumble strutting, and even some teeth action - which is really not ideal. I have tried numerous different methods of trying to keep the peace (including all the bribery and piggy snacks you can think of), but there was always that niggle that my piggies just weren't content in their home. But today I am here because I think I have finally nailed it - and would like to share the secret with you all, trialed and tested by yours truly.  

So to put things into a bit of context, my herd consists of 1 neutered boar, Fuzz, 1 entire young boar Snickers (who is awaiting his neutering surgery next year), and entire female, Beccy. So in this herd, Snickers is the problematic pig with testosterone emanating from every floofy little hair on his body. Now as a responsible guinea pig slave, Snickers and Beccy are kept separated at the moment, until Snickers is neutered and they can live together happily ever after without the addition of baby squeakers. 

So in the meantime, how do you separate guinea pigs, but still fulfil their social needs? I have considered keeping them in completely separate cages, however I feel bad to have one piggy on their own as we know they are very social animals, and should always be kept in a pair or more! (Did you know, in Switzerland it is now illegal to only own 1 guinea pig, and they must be kept with a friend?!). So that rules out that option. 

So lets move on to option number 2. Keeping them in the same cage, but separating them with the OG Ozzy cage panels. I did try this, and for the most part it worked well, as they could still see each other and interact, however there was still a little bit of cage chewing going on. 

Earlier in 2023, Guinea Pigs Australia brought out their NEW Ozzy cage clear panels - and this was a game changer for us! Moving on to Option 3. This is by far the best option thus far - all of my piggies are still able to see each other clearly and interact at all times, but there is no dances of love, or bickering allowed. Everyone seems very happy and content with this set up, and everyone is much less stressed. Having the clear panels has also prevented negative behavior's such as cage chewing. I also often feed them together at the same ends, so they still eat dinner together as normal, but there is no fighting over the juiciest piece of lettuce or capsicum. 

And what made it even better, is adding in the clear panels was so easy to do! My current set up is a 2x7 Ozzy cage (so everyone has plenty of room to move around and create their own eating, sleeping and pooping space). Fuzz and Beccy have a 4x2 section, and Snickers a 3x2 section. They each have their own individual corflute bases that we purchased off the Guinea Pigs Australia website, to fit perfectly into the cage stand. 

I'll link below everything that I have used in my cage set up, but regardless of the reasons for having to separate your guinea pigs, whether it be males and females, piggies that don't get along, young and old, or any other reasons, I highly urge you to try the clear panels as a divider option - It has worked well for us, but as always, we would love your feedback too! 

Merry Pigmas! 

To get a set up like the above, you will need:

1 x 6pack clear panels: Shop here 

1 x 2x4 corflute base: Shop here

1x 2x3 corflute base: Shop here

14 x Ozzy cage panels for the main cage (comes in packs of 6 or individually). I have used a combination of Aqua and Purple designer Ozzy panels in my set up: Shop here

6 x 6pack Ozzy panels for the stand: Shop here

Ozzy cage connectors: Shop here

Corflute nibble guards: Shop here

Ozzy Kitchenette (featured in Snicker's section, but will definitely be adding one to the larger section too!): Shop here

Storage boxes - mine are from Bunnings, however are only a 1x1 box. Guinea pigs Australia now has 1x2 storage boxes available that gives you double the storage space of what I have, and minimises the wasted space along the back row of the cage: Shop here