Bonding advice pls :)

J

J Fellows

New Born Pup
Joined
Dec 8, 2019
Messages
16
Reaction score
15
Points
155
Location
Norfolk, UK
Hi I hope I'm posting in the correct section - apologies if not. I am looking for some advice please.
I plan to pick up our new GP on Wednesday afternoon. He is apparently 5 months old. Our GP (Josh) is probably 6-9 months.
I have a cage the same as Josh's for the new GP and plenty of spare run panels and connectors. Also have spare boxes, fleeces, water bottle, food bowl, hay rack, mats etc.
My first question is: should I keep the new GP in a different room for a day or two at first, or put their cages next to eachother straight away?
My second questions is: When should I start transferring things in and out of eachothers cages - to get them used to eachothers smell? And how long should I do that for?
I do not plan to bathe them as I feel this would be stressful for them - Josh is never happy about being handled and we are carefully getting him used to this. Obviously the new GP is not going to know who I am either.
I plan to introduce them on a quiet day in the kitchen, once I've blocked off any potential escape routes. I will put plenty of hay and veggies down and keep a constant eye on them for aggressive behaviour. I will have towels handy and food bowls, hides and water bowls in case I need to leave them all day and night. Question 3 is after how many days doing the previous stages should I start this stage?
Pic below of Josh's current set up. (When we're not there he doesn't have floor time outside his run). I will have everything washed and refreshed before I put them both in (plus cut another hole in the box), assuming all the above goes OK. I will also add the extra food bowl, water bottle and hayrack so there is two of everything.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Josh's house.webp
 
I’ve only bonded sows but I can recommend the bonding guide that @Lady Kelly has linked for you.
I found them invaluable when I bonded 2 pairs of sows. I also found forum support during the bonding saved my sanity

I like your setup for Josh.
He’s a lucky piggy.
Hope the bonding goes well for you.
 
Fingers crossed all goes well. You can leave them in the bonding area overnight. But no hides initially when you put them in. There’s no need to do the smell transfer. You can have them living side by side though before the introduction.

Are you going to join the cages to give them more space? Space is very important for boars, especially those going through their teenage months - which your two are at the beginning of. I’d try and make sure they have at least 140 x 60cm space. You could always set up a play pen that they can have constant access to.
 
Merab's Slave said:
I’ve only bonded sows but I can recommend the bonding guide that @Lady Kelly has linked for you.
I found them invaluable when I bonded 2 pairs of sows. I also found forum support during the bonding saved my sanity

I like your setup for Josh.
He’s a lucky piggy.
Hope the bonding goes well for you.
Click to expand...
Hi yes I did read that guide and others. Thank you for your comments.
 
Siikibam said:
Fingers crossed all goes well. You can leave them in the bonding area overnight. But no hides initially when you put them in. There’s no need to do the smell transfer. You can have them living side by side though before the introduction.

Are you going to join the cages to give them more space? Space is very important for boars, especially those going through their teenage months - which your two are at the beginning of. I’d try and make sure they have at least 140 x 60cm space. You could always set up a play pen that they can have constant access to.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply. The space Josh has at the moment is over 107 x 145cm, including a play area, as pictured, which I believe is above all recommendations. My research and experience with animals generally leads me to believe a lot of bonding problems arise from lack of space. I plan to put the cages side by side as mentioned, with a separate play area for each, then if bonding in the kitchen goes OK I will likely leave the individual cages but allow access to both via a communal play area similar to what Josh has now in photo. If they got on really well will get down to one cage and extra play area.
In your experience, please could you let me know your thoughts on my first question in my first post? (should I keep the new GP in a different room for a day or two at first, or put their cages next to eachother straight away)
Also question 3, how long do you suggest I leave the cages side by side before attempting the bonding in the kitchen?
Thanks :)
 
The reason for initial separation in a different room is quarantine. If the piggy is coming from a pet shop,or breeder then usually a period of quarantine is a good idea. 14 days will generally reveal infections, ringworm etc that you wouldn’t want to give to Josh. If the piggy is coming from a reputable rescue he should already have gone through a period of quarantine. So it depends.
A side by side cage slow introduction will give you an idea whethe they hate each other on sight/smell (it does happen, believe me).
But the actual introduction must be in entirely neutral territory such as your kitchen. And with boars my experience is it is very quick - if it fails it will fail very quickly. Be prepared with an oven glove and something like a dustpan to protect your hands and to separate.
Good luck
 
VickiA said:
The reason for initial separation in a different room is quarantine. If the piggy is coming from a pet shop,or breeder then usually a period of quarantine is a good idea. 14 days will generally reveal infections, ringworm etc that you wouldn’t want to give to Josh. If the piggy is coming from a reputable rescue he should already have gone through a period of quarantine. So it depends.
A side by side cage slow introduction will give you an idea whethe they hate each other on sight/smell (it does happen, believe me).
But the actual introduction must be in entirely neutral territory such as your kitchen. And with boars my experience is it is very quick - if it fails it will fail very quickly. Be prepared with an oven glove and something like a dustpan to protect your hands and to separate.
Good luck
Click to expand...
Yes Thank you he is coming from the RSPCA and has been fostered at home by their guinea pig expert so I'm expecting him to be in good health. I have already asked her lots of questions but she is unfortunately on holiday this week.
I think i will keep him in another room for a bit initially so he gets used to his cage etc before i put him next to Josh. I think I will play it by ear depending on how they react.
I am being pedantic but I just want to do the absolute best i can in the hope it works out. Thanks again :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top