Bonding Two Unrelated Sows

[Wiggie2508]

we are getting our guinea pigs in a few weeks, we have one girl lined up already and are now looking to find a friend ready at the same time.

We aim to get both on the same day so we can get them settled whilst the kids are away for the weekend.

I was wondering if we should put them in the new shed together and see how they get on as it will be neutral to both of them or should I separate them and bond later?

We are in the process of custom built enclosure in the shed so if they have to be separated will drastically impact on the design.

 

[Wiebke]

we are getting our guinea pigs in a few weeks, we have one girl lined up already and are now looking to find a friend ready at the same time.

We aim to get both on the same day so we can get them settled whilst the kids are away for the weekend.

I was wondering if we should put them in the new shed together and see how they get on as it will be neutral to both of them or should I separate them and bond later?

We are in the process of custom built enclosure in the shed so if they have to be separated will drastically impact on the design.

Hi and welcome

How old are your girls-to-be? If they are very young (sub-four months), then the desire for company is generally overwheening. I would still recommend to conduct the bonding in a location where you can sit comfortably and warm for several hours to observe until acceptance and the roughest bit of the hierarchy sort-out has been got through.

If they are both older, it pays to keep them next to each other with a divider for 2-3 days or even a week so they can get their bearings and make friends through the bars. This takes a lot of stress out of the actual bonding which can lead to a negative over-reaction if you rush the fences.

Please take the time to read our comprehensive bonding guide, which takes to through all stages of a bonding in detail and explains key behaviours and dynamics to look out for at every stage, so you can judge whether a bonding is going well or not. Bonding sows all depends on whether they like each other and whether they can agree on a hierarchy. single sows can be rather fear-aggressive when they feel insecure and out of their depth.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour

 

[Wiggie2508]

Thanks they will both be young one will be 11 weeks and we are hoping to find another a similar age.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks they will both be young one will be 11 weeks and we are hoping to find another a similar age.

In that case, you can start them together directly in their new home.

Please be aware that you will have to treat both girls if one of them comes down with one of the typical health problems that can affect any guinea pig that has not come from a good standard rescue with a mandatory quarantine/medical treatment and a pregnancy watch for any sow over 4 weeks of age (the earliest they can get pregnant).
Importance Of Quarantine

However, I would strongly recommend to sex both girls again before putting them together as mis-sexing is sadly still not at all uncommon. It provides us with a steady stream of pregnant piggies and distraught owners to support...
Please look out for these two key areas:
- Sows have a fleshy arrangement just below when you peer into the opening of their genitalia where as boars simply go down into their anus poach which gets a lot bigger when the testicles descend from roughly 4 months of age.
- Sows are smooth in the area just above the knob (boars have a penis ridge which you can just feel under the skin there).
These two differences are much easier to spot in younger guinea pigs than trying to figure out the button and slot arrangement! Sexing Guinea Pigs: How to Sex a Guinea Pig

 

[sport_billy]

hello, Welcoem to the forum! Exciting times getting new piggies. Hope to hear lots of them when they arrive and of course if you have any questions please just ask

Lee

 

[piggieminder]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Your shed accommodation sounds interesting. We would all love to see pictures of your piggys when they have settled in.

 

[Freela]

My only concern with introducing right away would be quarantine issues if they are coming from different places and you aren't sure of disease exposures. Many common guinea pig ailments (respiratory infections, fungal infections, mites) are contagious. Whenever you do introductions, first of all make sure they are both sows! There are some good resources here about how to do introductions and how to tell if things are going well. Have a look at that first to know what's normal and what's a red flag. Introducing in a neutral area with no closed off hideys where a scared pig can get cornered is a good idea (we actually have done introductions in the bathtub with towels put down! No corners, totally neutral environment, easily observable to the humans! LOL!) Best of luck with your new girls!