Bonding Help

[JoCor]

i’ve had a female guinea pig for about a year now, she’s always been alone, mostly because i had the extra time to take care of her and at the time it was what was easiest for me, but i decided to adopted a 24 day old female about a week and a half ago from a shelter, i felt bad for my first guinea pig not having the ability to interact with other guinea pigs, and had the opportunity to get another. they both have really similar personalities and i started the bonding process about 3-4 hrs ago in a neutral space with new toys, and fresh food. at the start the older one chased the little one around while she was exploring, and they had their little happy squeals, they’ve both calmed down at this point and have been sleeping near eachother for about 40 minutes, and seem to enjoy each other’s company quite well, there was no fighting or display of aggression, etc. at all. i do tend to overthink and it’s my first time bonding any guinea pigs, so i was mostly just wondering how i know when it’s time to try putting them in a cage together. they both have their own separate midwest cages, i have thoroughly cleaned them and have connected them, with fresh toys and bedding etc. i just don’t exactly know when to tell if they’re okay to put in their cage together, and see if they’d get along in an enclosed space, etc. it would be really helpful if i could just get some extra tips on what to do to prepare for putting them in the cage, and what to watch out for after, etc.

 

[Siikibam]

If they seem to have settled into some kind of...agreement then you can move them into their new cage. It’s usually suggested that you give them some good hours in the bonding areaMake sure you have two of everything. And please double check that the new piggy is indeed a sow.

Well done on getting your girl a friend. Unfortunately no amount of interaction with us can replace the companionship of their own kind.

We would love to see some photos of your girls.

 

[JoCor]

If they seem to have settled into some kind of...agreement then you can move them into their new cage. It’s usually suggested that you give them some good hours in the bonding areaMake sure you have two of everything. And please double check that the new piggy is indeed a sow.

Well done on getting your girl a friend. Unfortunately no amount of interaction with us can replace the companionship of their own kind.

We would love to see some photos of your girls.

i’m still going to give them a few more hours as it is still a little early in the day here, and i’m not going to bed anytime soon. they seem to be getting along well, they have little bursts of energy here and there and will squeak at eachother and run around then calm down for a bit, and repeat. the new little piggy was actually born at the shelter, her mom came in pregnant and had her there but was adopted separately before. they made sure she was in good health and checked her sex. i have made sure to get double of everything and cleaned both cages thoroughly before connecting them and getting them ready. my older one seems more energetic and playful than before, though slightly protective of her space when eating, but hasn’t started any fights or shown aggression of any sort. i’ll attach some pictures of them below the white short hair is Moora (named after liv moore from izombie) and is about a year and 2 months old now. the little one i was told is long haired peruvian, and she was born on valentine’s day! her name is nova (like a supernova) the only pictures i have of her so far are from the shelter the day we got her.

 

[Swissgreys]

This story made my morning.
What a lovely outcome for both piggies.
You clearly have a wonderful home to offer and your girls are very lucky.
You will love watching your girls interact as nothing replaces a piggy having a companion of their own species.

 

[JoCor]

i made a post a couple days ago about bonding my 2 female guinea pigs, i have an older one who has been alone for about a year, i’ve always had enough time to take care of her and give her the attention and love she needed, but ultimately decided to get a second one bc i know that no amount of care i give her will compare to that of her being with another piggy. i adopted a baby piggy about a week and a half ago, she’s only about a month old. i started the bonding process about 2 days ago and the first day went well, there was no fighting or aggressiveness and they seemed to enjoy each others company quite well, but as time goes on i’ve noticed that my older piggy is slowly getting more protective of her space and food, even though i have double of everything and more than enough hay, toys, hideys, etc. she’ll make like a quiet purr/hooting sound when the little piggy comes near her or does just about anything, and she’ll purposefully go where the little one is and push her out of her place even when they’re not bothering each other, or will sort of slightly lunge at her or push her away, like no matter where the little one goes even if it’s nowhere near her, she’ll push her out and then stay there so she won’t come back, sort of just forcing her to leave. i understand that she was alone and didn’t have to share anything for a long time, and that the bonding process takes time, i’m just hesitant to keep them together when she seems pretty distressed. the little one sort of follows her around and squeaks at her to get her attention and just runs away when she senses her getting annoyed, etc. i sense that she’s trying to play around and sort of just get a reaction out of her. once they both just get tired of it they seem to just leave each other alone and sleep apart from each other for a bit, but then after a while it just starts happening again. they seem calm when they’re running around my room for the day, and the “arguing” calms down, but once they’re in their cage (two connected midwest cages) the problem seems to get worse. i took all the steps in cleaning their cages out and making sure it was sort of a more neutral space, and everything had gone fine the first day, so i put them in there together and it was fine that night, but now it’s progressively getting worse? i love them both very much and just want the best for them regardless of what it takes, i’m just a very paranoid person and like to overthink, so idk if i’m reading the situation correctly or not and would like some help and advice on what to do.

 

[Swissgreys]

i made a post a couple days ago about bonding my 2 female guinea pigs, i have an older one who has been alone for about a year, i’ve always had enough time to take care of her and give her the attention and love she needed, but ultimately decided to get a second one bc i know that no amount of care i give her will compare to that of her being with another piggy. i adopted a baby piggy about a week and a half ago, she’s only about a month old. i started the bonding process about 2 days ago and the first day went well, there was no fighting or aggressiveness and they seemed to enjoy each others company quite well, but as time goes on i’ve noticed that my older piggy is slowly getting more protective of her space and food, even though i have double of everything and more than enough hay, toys, hideys, etc. she’ll make like a quiet purr/hooting sound when the little piggy comes near her or does just about anything, and she’ll purposefully go where the little one is and push her out of her place even when they’re not bothering each other, or will sort of slightly lunge at her or push her away, like no matter where the little one goes even if it’s nowhere near her, she’ll push her out and then stay there so she won’t come back, sort of just forcing her to leave. i understand that she was alone and didn’t have to share anything for a long time, and that the bonding process takes time, i’m just hesitant to keep them together when she seems pretty distressed. the little one sort of follows her around and squeaks at her to get her attention and just runs away when she senses her getting annoyed, etc. i sense that she’s trying to play around and sort of just get a reaction out of her. once they both just get tired of it they seem to just leave each other alone and sleep apart from each other for a bit, but then after a while it just starts happening again. they seem calm when they’re running around my room for the day, and the “arguing” calms down, but once they’re in their cage (two connected midwest cages) the problem seems to get worse. i took all the steps in cleaning their cages out and making sure it was sort of a more neutral space, and everything had gone fine the first day, so i put them in there together and it was fine that night, but now it’s progressively getting worse? i love them both very much and just want the best for them regardless of what it takes, i’m just a very paranoid person and like to overthink, so idk if i’m reading the situation correctly or not and would like some help and advice on what to do.

Firstly i have merged your 2 threads together so people can follow the whole story more clearly.
If a problem or question is related to a previous post then please try and use the same thread.

What you are describing above sounds perfectly normal.
The baby wants company but is also making it clear that she accepts her role as the lower piggy.
The older piggy is just reminding the baby she is the lower ranked one and she needs to respect it.

As long as both piggies can eat and drink, the odd bit of pushing around just serves to reinforce the hierarchy.
Worrying signs would be full on fur ball fights, loss of weight or bite injuries that result in blood being drawn.