4yr Old Sow Meeting 9weeks Sows

Fishybat

Fishybat

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hi
My 4yr old sow Truffle lost her 4yr old friend Kola about 2 weeks ago. She has gradually become quieter and starting biting the bars even with loads of fuss. so I have taken two 9 week sows that a friend rescued their pregnant mum. They are gorgeous and we have had them 4 days now so are ready to introduce to Truffle on neutral ground.
Truffle was the dominant female but she is a real softie and only occasionally needed to put Kola in her place.
Baby Primrose is very submissive and won’t mind Truffle being boss however baby Poppy has dominated Primrose and I fear she may try to dominate Truffle. Is it possible that a little one a third of the size of my big sow could dominate her? Or am I in for a rough ride when I introduce them tomorrow.
Very apprehensive about mixing them but I have read all the advice.
Hopeful of a good outcome. Is this a bad combination or is three sows usually ok?
Words of encouragement please.
 
Fishybat said:
hi
My 4yr old sow Truffle lost her 4yr old friend Kola about 2 weeks ago. She has gradually become quieter and starting biting the bars even with loads of fuss. so I have taken two 9 week sows that a friend rescued their pregnant mum. They are gorgeous and we have had them 4 days now so are ready to introduce to Truffle on neutral ground.
Truffle was the dominant female but she is a real softie and only occasionally needed to put Kola in her place.
Baby Primrose is very submissive and won’t mind Truffle being boss however baby Poppy has dominated Primrose and I fear she may try to dominate Truffle. Is it possible that a little one a third of the size of my big sow could dominate her? Or am I in for a rough ride when I introduce them tomorrow.
Very apprehensive about mixing them but I have read all the advice.
Hopeful of a good outcome. Is this a bad combination or is three sows usually ok?
Words of encouragement please.
Click to expand...
Most sows are quite welcoming towards babies so I don’t anticipate any real problem introducing them. Remember though that babies will squeal loudly at the least look or touch from another piggy! They often squeal in submission too! One of my little ones escaped into the next group not long after I’d got them ( squeezed through the bars) found her in with 4 older sows who were delighted to have a baby in their company! Sally was actually licking and grooming her - baby was making a dreadful racket so I was dreading looking!
Good luck!
Janice - Piggy Mum to 11 sows and two neutered boars.
 
Janice C said:
Most sows are quite welcoming towards babies so I don’t anticipate any real problem introducing them. Remember though that babies will squeal loudly at the least look or touch from another piggy! They often squeal in submission too! One of my little ones escaped into the next group not long after I’d got them ( squeezed through the bars) found her in with 4 older sows who were delighted to have a baby in their company! Sally was actually licking and grooming her - baby was making a dreadful racket so I was dreading looking!
Good luck!
Janice - Piggy Mum to 11 sows and two neutered boars.
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Thank you that’s sounds reassuring.
 
Fishybat said:
hi
My 4yr old sow Truffle lost her 4yr old friend Kola about 2 weeks ago. She has gradually become quieter and starting biting the bars even with loads of fuss. so I have taken two 9 week sows that a friend rescued their pregnant mum. They are gorgeous and we have had them 4 days now so are ready to introduce to Truffle on neutral ground.
Truffle was the dominant female but she is a real softie and only occasionally needed to put Kola in her place.
Baby Primrose is very submissive and won’t mind Truffle being boss however baby Poppy has dominated Primrose and I fear she may try to dominate Truffle. Is it possible that a little one a third of the size of my big sow could dominate her? Or am I in for a rough ride when I introduce them tomorrow.
Very apprehensive about mixing them but I have read all the advice.
Hopeful of a good outcome. Is this a bad combination or is three sows usually ok?
Words of encouragement please.
Click to expand...

Just see how it goes. At that age, a baby is normally too young and small to run a group; they are generally happy have somepig teaching them the ropes. Introducing two younger piggies usually works as long as the two youngsters are well bonded and get on. It means that they have each other for company while the older piggy gains in status.
Here are our tips and illustrations so you can look out for the crucial signals to judge how things are going. Brace yourself for lots of drama from vocal babies!
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
 
Wiebke said:
Just see how it goes. At that age, a baby is normally too young and small to run a group; they are generally happy have somepig teaching them the ropes. Introducing two younger piggies usually works as long as the two youngsters are well bonded and get on. It means that they have each other for company while the older piggy gains in status.
Here are our tips and illustrations so you can look out for the crucial signals to judge how things are going. Brace yourself for lots of drama from vocal babies!
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Click to expand...
Thank you. The babies are sisters and have spent a lot of time snuggled together. They seem to have a strong bond. After the initial meeting if all goes well I will clean cage well and rearrange. I have a small grass house which the babies like but Truffle will not be able to get in. There is also a high ledge that Truffle sits on and I don’t think the babies will be able to get up there at first. Thinking that she will have her own space too. Does this sound ok?
 
good luck with the meet & greet tomorrow, i found with mine that i put the two younger sisters approx 12months in a separate end to my outdoor run (it was the summer) & Grace was in the other end, i left them to it for 20mins or so, when i went back out my little one Dopple was snuggled up to Grace... in Graces side of the run, she had pushed her way through the chicken wire barrier to seek my older Grace's company, they often snuggled together & were best buddies, until i lost Dopple a couple of weeks ago.

Now Grace snuggles up with Orca, i think Grace just loves company.
Hopefully Truffle will be the same if she's lonely at the moment .

Happy bonding & it's nice to see another member from my part of the world on here :)
keep us updated

xx
 
Fishybat said:
Thank you. The babies are sisters and have spent a lot of time snuggled together. They seem to have a strong bond. After the initial meeting if all goes well I will clean cage well and rearrange. I have a small grass house which the babies like but Truffle will not be able to get in. There is also a high ledge that Truffle sits on and I don’t think the babies will be able to get up there at first. Thinking that she will have her own space too. Does this sound ok?
Click to expand...

I would make sure that you have got only things with two exits in the cage during the first days. The babies could be trapped in their little hut. Wait with it until the dominance has settled down. The pups are so agile that they cannot come to any harm unless they are trapped in a chase or being deliberately 'locked in'.
 
I did have an adult guinea pig end up being submissive to a 12-week-old baby- but that was Sundae, and she was the most passive guinea pig in the world who was just looking for someone else to follow around. She had no interest at all in being the leader! Hopefully yours can agree on who will be the boss with a minimum of fuss.
 
I put them all together on the bathroom floor and Truffle immediately gently nipped Primrose. Primrose squealed and Truffle then licked her ears and groomed her. Instant like. Poppy took much longer and not sure Truffle has taken to her as well as Primrose.
They are sniffing each other then Truffle does a little nip and Poppy runs away she has not made any squeals. They are eating, sleeping, and washing all together.
After an hour I put them in the clean indoor run and I decided to leave them all night as well rather than moving to cage as they were all getting on so well.
Exciting times as hubby has agreed to make a shelf to put my 120 cage on next to my 140 so the girls are going to be able to go from one to another through an opening at the end.
Always wanted a bigger cage and they will have lots of room to play and less chance of fall out.
Truffle seems so much happier already she usually tells me she wants to go back to her cage but she didn’t last night. They are so noisy and chatty together.
I am so pleased .
Will move to cage tomorrow but now it’s going to be nearly twice as big I don’t think there will be a problem.
Thank you for all your support. X
 
Fishybat said:
I put them all together on the bathroom floor and Truffle immediately gently nipped Primrose. Primrose squealed and Truffle then licked her ears and groomed her. Instant like. Poppy took much longer and not sure Truffle has taken to her as well as Primrose.
They are sniffing each other then Truffle does a little nip and Poppy runs away she has not made any squeals. They are eating, sleeping, and washing all together.
After an hour I put them in the clean indoor run and I decided to leave them all night as well rather than moving to cage as they were all getting on so well.
Exciting times as hubby has agreed to make a shelf to put my 120 cage on next to my 140 so the girls are going to be able to go from one to another through an opening at the end.
Always wanted a bigger cage and they will have lots of room to play and less chance of fall out.
Truffle seems so much happier already she usually tells me she wants to go back to her cage but she didn’t last night. They are so noisy and chatty together.
I am so pleased .
Will move to cage tomorrow but now it’s going to be nearly twice as big I don’t think there will be a problem.
Thank you for all your support. X
Click to expand...

That is lovely news! Happy times for you!
 
Fishybat said:
I put them all together on the bathroom floor and Truffle immediately gently nipped Primrose. Primrose squealed and Truffle then licked her ears and groomed her. Instant like. Poppy took much longer and not sure Truffle has taken to her as well as Primrose.
They are sniffing each other then Truffle does a little nip and Poppy runs away she has not made any squeals. They are eating, sleeping, and washing all together.
After an hour I put them in the clean indoor run and I decided to leave them all night as well rather than moving to cage as they were all getting on so well.
Exciting times as hubby has agreed to make a shelf to put my 120 cage on next to my 140 so the girls are going to be able to go from one to another through an opening at the end.
Always wanted a bigger cage and they will have lots of room to play and less chance of fall out.
Truffle seems so much happier already she usually tells me she wants to go back to her cage but she didn’t last night. They are so noisy and chatty together.
I am so pleased .
Will move to cage tomorrow but now it’s going to be nearly twice as big I don’t think there will be a problem.
Thank you for all your support. X
Click to expand...
Marvellous news! Great when a bonding works so well!
 
I am so thrilled. They are all together in the super long cage. Truffle looked in the bedroom and saw Primrose in there and Truffle started to popcorn which she hasn’t done since Kola was so poorly. She then came over to me and wheeked loudly. I’m sure she was saying thank you. All three are eating hay together and Poppy is zooming around from one cage to another. Truffle laid down and slept with her eyes closed looking really content.

0638D0E1-0ECA-4618-A22C-F83DA20EFEE0.webp
 
It's always a great feeling when a bonding works out really well and a rotten one when it fails...

I've been bonding my new youngsters with a andult sow/neutered boar pair today; it went very well, too. Briallen is the Welsh version of Primrose, by the way. :D
However, my single sow Beryn ('Candytuft') who I wanted the babies to go to was not keen on them. :(
Bonding Miaren And Meleri
 
Fishybat said:
I am so thrilled. They are all together in the super long cage. Truffle looked in the bedroom and saw Primrose in there and Truffle started to popcorn which she hasn’t done since Kola was so poorly. She then came over to me and wheeked loudly. I’m sure she was saying thank you. All three are eating hay together and Poppy is zooming around from one cage to another. Truffle laid down and slept with her eyes closed looking really content.

View attachment 77208
Click to expand...
I'm so happy everybody likes each other!
 
Fishybat said:
I am so thrilled. They are all together in the super long cage. Truffle looked in the bedroom and saw Primrose in there and Truffle started to popcorn which she hasn’t done since Kola was so poorly. She then came over to me and wheeked loudly. I’m sure she was saying thank you. All three are eating hay together and Poppy is zooming around from one cage to another. Truffle laid down and slept with her eyes closed looking really content.

View attachment 77208
Click to expand...
That’s lovely that they have settled together!
 
I have similar experiences, my little Tigger lost her life long friend Cookie about 4 days ago. Since then Tigger seems to be hiding more under the hay and not running away from me as much as she used to every time I tried to pick her up. I think time will heal your GP and get it back to normal. Good luck.
 
Vabbit said:
I have similar experiences, my little Tigger lost her life long friend Cookie about 4 days ago. Since then Tigger seems to be hiding more under the hay and not running away from me as much as she used to every time I tried to pick her up. I think time will heal your GP and get it back to normal. Good luck.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that you’ve lost Cookie. Will you be going to a rescue after Christmas to find a friend for Tigger?
 
Janice C said:
Sorry to hear that you’ve lost Cookie. Will you be going to a rescue after Christmas to find a friend for Tigger?
Click to expand...
I already found her a friend. I couldn't bear her being so quiet and motionless. Hopefully she will help Cookie get stable again.
 
Vabbit said:
I already found her a friend. I couldn't bear her being so quiet and motionless. Hopefully she will help Cookie get stable again.
Click to expand...
Oh that's lovely!
Post some photos when you have them settled!
Always good to see new piggies on the Forum!
 
Janice C said:
Oh that's lovely!
Post some photos when you have them settled!
Always good to see new piggies on the Forum!
Click to expand...
I have 1 picture so far. Tigger can't bee seen much, but it's all I have so far. Oreo ~ White and brown one, Tigger ~ the long haired brown one.
image.jpg
 
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