Bonding baby sow ❤

[Deleted member 142232]

So, I rescued a baby sow who is about 6 weeks old, the mum passed and it's herd separated. I have 4 older sow piggies. 2 are 6 months old and the other two 3 months old.
This was fully unplanned and I only knew on the day when I found her and had to rescue her.

I have put her in a cage right next to theirs and have been placing piggies in her temporary cage separately for a bit of interaction. They have all seemed to take a motherly role of grooming and eating with the baby aswell as chasing and playing and sniffing butt's.
I'm nervous to place her in the proper cage with the others tomorrow (after a deep neutral clean).
I've gave the baby their bedding and scent. And I'm nervous as I'm not sure whether I'm doing the right thing.
Any advice would be appreciated

 

[Wiebke]

So, I rescued a baby sow who is about 6 weeks old, the mum passed and it's herd separated. I have 4 older sow piggies. 2 are 6 months old and the other two 3 months old.
This was fully unplanned and I only knew on the day when I found her and had to rescue her.

I have put her in a cage right next to theirs and have been placing piggies in her temporary cage separately for a bit of interaction. They have all seemed to take a motherly role of grooming and eating with the baby aswell as chasing and playing and sniffing butt's.
I'm nervous to place her in the proper cage with the others tomorrow (after a deep neutral clean).
I've gave the baby their bedding and scent. And I'm nervous as I'm not sure whether I'm doing the right thing.
Any advice would be appreciated

Please do the intro outside the cage on neutral ground. I would personally not worry; the signs are all normal friendly social interactive behaviours typical for the start of the bonding process. The baby cannot challenge the existing hierarchy and you are now into group dynamics, which make acceptance much more likely.
The post-bonding dominance phase with babies is usually VERY dramatic but generally shorter. Please remove any huts with just one exit and sit it out without interfering with the necessary group establishment process.

PLEASE take the time to read our our very detailed comprehensive step-by-step bonding guide it features group intros as well as baby bonding videos and takes you step-by-step through all the stages of the complex bonding process so you know exactly what to look out for. It's taken me days to write the guide, so I cannot repeat it all in detail in one post; but it really talks you through all aspects.
Here is the link: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

All the best!

 

[Deleted member 142232]

Please do the intro outside the cage on neutral ground. I would personally not worry; the signs are all normal friendly social interactive behaviours typical for the start of the bonding process. The baby cannot challenge the existing hierarchy and you are now into group dynamics, which make acceptance much more likely.
The post-bonding dominance phase with babies is usually VERY dramatic but generally shorter. Please remove any huts with just one exit and sit it out without interfering with the necessary group establishment process.

PLEASE take the time to read our our very detailed comprehensive step-by-step bonding guide it features group intros as well as baby bonding videos and takes you step-by-step through all the stages of the complex bonding process so you know exactly what to look out for.
Here is the link: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

All the best!

Thank you so much! I'll be using a pop up play pen for the bonding before cage.

 

[Deleted member 142232]

So, I rescued a baby sow who is about 6 weeks old, the mum passed and it's herd separated. I have 4 older sow piggies. 2 are 6 months old and the other two 3 months old.
This was fully unplanned and I only knew on the day when I found her and had to rescue her.

I have put her in a cage right next to theirs and have been placing piggies in her temporary cage separately for a bit of interaction. They have all seemed to take a motherly role of grooming and eating with the baby aswell as chasing and playing and sniffing butt's.
I'm nervous to place her in the proper cage with the others tomorrow (after a deep neutral clean).
I've gave the baby their bedding and scent. And I'm nervous as I'm not sure whether I'm doing the right thing.
Any advice would be appreciated

****Update!! I never seen such a compatible group of guinea pigs. No fighting and any aggression whatsoever. She fitted in so well. Not only that but the most anti social whiny piggy of mine has taken a caring role for the baby and is now more comfortable sharing space and food with the baby even with the rest of the herd.

Immediately, they were grooming her/nuzzling her fur and licking aswell as licking her ears and face. Some even noticed her eye infection and was trying to clean it.
Her infection cleared up in two days and she's happy having some cage mates and a place to run.
She has chosen her bed to be the mini hay rack....

 

[weepweeps]

that’s brilliant. She’s gorgeous.