Bonding baby boars

[CavyL0ver]

I adopted a lone boar about 3 - 4 weeks ago since my parents told me to get one guinea pig first. I am planning to adopt a second boar next week which is about 1.5 months old while mine is 3 months old. I am planning to put them in a 2x6 C&C cage. Do I need to quarantine the other boar or should I introduce him right away? Please explain to me how I should tackle this situation. Thank you in advanced.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I'm so glad you are getting a friend for your piggy. It Is so important that they are always kept in pairs.
You must not quarantine the new piggy since both yours and the new piggy are too young to be alone, you need to carry out the neutral territory bonding process straight away as they will both be desperate for company.

Its important you check the sex of both piggies before you put them together to ensure they are both definitely male.

You will need to put them both in a neutral territory area with just a pile of hay (no hides should be used) and leave them together for several hours so they can start to form a relationship. Do not put the new piggy directly into the cage where your current piggy lives as this will be seen as a territory invasion and will cause problems. Any introductions must be done somewhere your piggy does not see as his own territory.
After a few hours and if all goes well, then you need to clean down the cage they are to live in, and then move them to it. You can add hides at this point. Please ensure you have two hides and two of every item. Please also ensure that the hides have two exits, don’t use hides with only one door as they can cause fights if one piggy traps the other inside it. Do not separate them if things go well, they need to remain together permamently from then on. It will take them around two weeks to fully form a relationship. You will see a lot of dominance behaviours and given they will be coming up to their teens, then hormones will increase and cause further dominance.

This guide explains how to introduce piggies to each other. Please do give it a read as it has much more detail on what to expect and how to do it, than we can explain in each post.
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

This guide explains the behaviours you are going to see
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

These guides explain boar behaviours and what to do is the bonding fails.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars

 

[CavyL0ver]

Will it be fine if I put them in the same cage but with a barrier in the middle to let the younger pig settle in his new home or should I just introduce them right as I get him?

 

[CavyL0ver]

I would also like to ask when is it safe to put them together.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Will it be fine if I put them in the same cage but with a barrier in the middle to let the younger pig settle in his new home or should I just introduce them right as I get him?

You could put them either side of a barrier so he can settle but they should be put in a neutral territory bonding pen and bonded as soon as possible given they are so young and really need the interaction.

I would also like to ask when is it safe to put them together.

What do you mean by this? Provided they are both male, then it’s safe to put them together immediately.
Once you put them on neutral territory and carry out the bonding then they need to stay from then on. You can’t put them together, and then separate and then put them together again the next day as that stops and starts the process and causes stress.

 

[CavyL0ver]

You could put them either side of a barrier so he can settle but they should be put in a neutral territory bonding pen and bonded as soon as possible given they are so young and really need the interaction.



What do you mean by this? Provided they are both male, then it’s safe to put them together immediately.
Once you put them on neutral territory and carry out the bonding then they need to stay from then on. You can’t put them together, and then separate and then put them together again the next day as that stops and starts the process and causes stress.

I mean when can they live together after putting them in neutral territory. I'm scared that I will house them together before they are comfortable with each other.

 

[Piggies&buns]

I mean when can they live together after putting them in neutral territory. I'm scared that I will house them together before they are comfortable with each other.

Once you put them in neutral territory, if things go well and they accept each other then they must remain together from then on and you don’t separate them again. After a few hours in the neutral territory, you will know whether things are working out and you then move them together to the cage and leave them together. Please don’t separate them if things are going well as if you do, the you interrupt everything and cause the bonding to stop.

After they’ve been in neutral territory, you only separate them if it bonding fails. If that happens, they aren’t compatible and the bonding fails, then they must remain separate permanently. Usually youngsters accept each other though as they are desperate for companionship. You do always need to bear in mind that once teenage hormones hit at 4 months of age, you will see an increase in dominance again. If there are any incompatibilities between them then that is when they may come to light.