Bonding a 3rd into pair

D

Deleted member 142232

Hey! I've posted before about getting a third and decided against but have recently gave it more thought.
I have a 2x5 c&c with a 3x2 hay loft. With two litter trays, 3 hay stations and two bowls. I will be buying the new guinea pig its own bowl and fleeces ect.

I am a bit worried though as my bonded sows are now 3-4 months old and they're displaying chasing, humping, barbering (though no patches of fur are lost their long fur seems a little trimmed) but overall they're very nice about their dominating and stop when one seems too bothered. Its the chasing that bothers me most as it looks distressing. They do lay in a pigloo together quite a bit and this behaviour only shows when they're super hyped.

Though I will have the new sow in a cage connected to theirs for a week or so (along with dating sessions once a day on neutral ground), I am worried that the pair will be too rough or are going through something at the moment. I don't want any extreme fighting going on. I'm not sure how much sexual maturity affects bonding.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.
Though I am pretty certain I'm getting a third, I would like advice on what to do to help them eventually get along and if my two sows current attitude can be a problem to a 7 week old baby (the other two are 12-14 weeks).
 
When you get a new piggy as she is under four months of age, she cannot be in a separate cage at all, she must be bonded in with your two immediately. She is too young to ever be alone.
You also do not do bonding with daily meetings. The constant meeting and separating means they dont bond and don’t form a hierarchy as they constantly get interrupted. Bonding is a one time meeting seen through to conclusion in one go - whether it be success or failure - and if successful move to their cage together to live permanently on the same day.

if you are buying the piggy on spec, then there is a risk of failure which you need to prepare for - hopefully all will be well but you can never tell. You can’t make them get along as character compatibility is the key factor, it’s not something you can encourage as it is entirely down to the piggies.
The safest way to find a new friend via is dating at a rescue centre as your girls can choose their own friend which means you will have compatibility.

this guide details how to do a bonding
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?
 
Thank you for the advice! Now that I know that, I won't do the separated cage and daily thing. I was a bit confused as I've seem a few people do the idea I mentioned? I would go to a shelter and do the dating and picking but there's a scarce of shelters here and when there are shelters there are no guinea pigs or just males.
I will try do a one time bond and HOPE it works, if not, ill set up another CC cage and get it a friend.
 
daily meetings are for special circumstances such as fear aggressive piggies, or separated pregnant sows when trying to reintroduce them following birth of pups. For a normal bonding, daily meetings are not the way to do it.
As she is under four months, then her social needs are so great that she just needs to be bonded with them. This is also the reason why youngsters cannot be quarantined (true quarantine has to be done for two weeks in a totally separate room) and accept that if she brings in any illnesses (as can happen with pet shop piggies) that you will need to treat all three of them.

do read the guides I linked in in my previous reply as they tell you how to do a bonding - needing neutral territory, no hides etc and the behaviours you are looking out for, and when to move them all back into the cage. You need to ensure that the cage they are to live in together gets thoroughly cleaned out, fresh fleece, rearranged etc so your original pair no longer see it as their own territory. In sows you are less likely to see a full on fight, it’ll be things like pulling fur out which is the sow equivalent. You will see dominance behaviours, as you are now, but introducing a nee piggy will mean they spend a two week period establishing their relationship and hierarchy as a trio.

some further guides to help

Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
 
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