Help For Bonding New Pig

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Piggiekisses

Piggiekisses

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Hi,

I have a male skinny pig and and a newly adopted spayed sow , both around 1 year old. I just got her yesterday and since the rescue previously quarrauntined her, I figured it was safe to do introductions.
I realize I should've let her settle in separately first, my bad. Anyway, they had hours of bonding today and yesterday , and I followed the steps for introductions. The male bothers the sow quite often and little nips have been exchanged. He has a few very tiny scratches and the sow is mostly sitting in the corner. Please I would like advice on what to do.

Thanks,
Again I didn't mean to make any mistake on purpose!
 
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Did you ensure they are both meeting on brand new territory? Don't leave them together if you are unsure but if no one is injured I believe you should leave them in a neutral territory for several hours until
A) they work it out and settle down, this can mean going off to do their own thing or
B) they fight!
You aren't suppose to intervene if it's just scuffles only if it's violent have a hot pad to put on your hand to separate them but make sure it's a big enough neutral space with some hay and 2 hides with 2 entrances, even boxes with holes of you need to then stuff a couple rolls from toilet paper with hay and hope for the best. I'm not an expert but certainly also use the introduction guidelines
Good luck!

Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
 
Cookies&Glitter said:
Did you ensure they are both meeting on brand new territory? Don't leave them together if you are unsure but if no one is injured I believe you should leave them in a neutral territory for several hours until
A) they work it out and settle down, this can mean going off to do their own thing or
B) they fight!
You aren't suppose to intervene if it's just scuffles only if it's violent have a hot pad to put on your hand to separate them but make sure it's a big enough neutral space with some hay and 2 hides with 2 entrances, even boxes with holes of you need to then stuff a couple rolls from toilet paper with hay and hope for the best. I'm not an expert but certainly also use the introduction guidelines
Good luck!

Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
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Yup, brand new area ! Ok good, they are letting each other sleep and eat more but the sow is mainly just lying there and eating alot of paper bedding. I'm hoping she will get familiar with everything. How long do you think it'll take them to get used to each other? I hope the progress continues though, I'd hate for them to suddenly not get along. Would love tips on how to avoid this from happening.

Thanks !
 
Other than space time and double of everything I think it's mainly personality that will determine, I'm keepin my fingers crossed for you.
Would love to see pics, I searched so hard for a skinny pig to rescue or even buy but I still ended up with the perfect fuzzy match for my lonely pig so I can't complain.
 
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Cookies&Glitter said:
Other than space time and double of everything I think it's mainly personality that will determine, I'm keepin my fingers crossed for you.
Would love to see pics, I searched so hard for a skinny pig to rescue or even buy but I still ended up with the perfect fuzzy match for my lonely pig so I can't complain.
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Thanks, good thing the sow is not dominant. It's true! Skinnies are always harder to find.
 
It sounds like they are doing okay at the moment. Some pigs will bond right away and others take much longer. A bonding can sometimes take a week or more to completely settle. As long as they are not not full on fighting they should not be separated since that will cause the bonding to start all over. Fingers crossed for a successful introduction.
 
DanielleMeyer said:
It sounds like they are doing okay at the moment. Some pigs will bond right away and others take much longer. A bonding can sometimes take a week or more to completely settle. As long as they are not not full on fighting they should not be separated since that will cause the bonding to start all over. Fingers crossed for a successful introduction.
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Right, sounds good to me. I will keep a close eye on them for now. Thanks for the input, super helpful!
 
Hi again,

It's been almost a week and the skinny pig got a wound on his head. I see blood and peeled skin, its maybe around 5mm tall and wide :( he's also lost about 98g, yet he still eats throughout the day. Maybe he's moving more? They were fine all week , just some rumbling and nipping here and there. he's still popcorning and seems ok now. Should I seperate them? Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Maybe try a trial separation, sounds like your sow may be the bully here. See if they call out for each other if separated (my boys immediately start wheeking if i take one out without the other even though they like to jab noses)
 
Keiko The Pig said:
Maybe try a trial separation, sounds like your sow may be the bully here. See if they call out for each other if separated (my boys immediately start wheeking if i take one out without the other even though they like to jab noses)
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Okay, i'll give this a shot. Do you know how long I should seperate them? Should I take the sow out of the cage? She is usually very still and mellow. Though they've only been together for a week, so I'm not sure how they'll react, if they do at all! IMG_20160520_225007.webp
 
I've never seen a bite mark before so unfortunately I can't say if that looks pig inflicted or not. Try for half an hour to an hour. See if either one brightens up noticeably (this will indicate that they are not happy together if either one immediately cheers up away from the other). Also there is a possibly that they may be fighting over a specific cage accessory. Removing this accessory whether it's a hidey, chew toy, or whatnot may lessen the aggression. With my boys it's insanely obvious they need and want each other but they are very closely bonded and quite young so much more comfortable together. I would however take that poor boy to the vet to make sure nothing gets infected asap. If your girl is the dominant pig you don't want her mounting him (my boys seem to only mount each other's faces) and making it any worse
 
The wound to my eye doesn't look infected however it does look like it could be a bite wound but that is an unusual place to find one in bondings (from my experience anyway). Please bath pet it in home made saline (salt and cooled boiled water ) and see how you go. Any swelling or alteration such as pus should immediately be seen by a vet. Is there any other way he could have injured himself than by being bitten?
I would also check your girl over very carefully too to see if she has any injuries. If she has fur it may be less apparent.
Do you have 2 of everything in the cage at least a pig's length apart (bowl, water etc) so that there can be no blocking or hogging? Ideally have 3 houses (one each and one spare) so they can choose where to hide. And ensure all hideys have 2 exits so no-one gets trapped. Small boxes with 2 cut out doors or plastic stools work well so no one gets trapped inside.
Male/female bondings can take a while to settle. You can also separate and reintroduce if you feel you have to. But if this is a single incident and you didn't witness it I'd be reluctant to separate unless they are clearly fighting and injuring each other. In the early days Mr Ted once inflicted a bite on Mrs Fudge's face and she developed an abscess. They'd been together 3 weeks without incident. I never knew what caused the incident but it never repeated itself and they lived happily until she passed 2 years later.
 
IMG_20160521_102642.webpi have been putting saline on his wound 2x /day like an ointment, so I hope that's okay. I've actually never seen my sow mount the boar at all. This morning i didn't see any change in the wound, it may be even a little better. Here, this is their cage so I don't know how else he could've gotten it. His nails are not that strong and are trimmed, plus the hay is thin. I've checked my sow and see nothing but fur everywhere and was scared to put any accessories in the cage incase they fought over it. I'm not sure what to do, so should I keep them together and just keep watch? Will it ever be safe to put pigloo and snuggle sacks in the cage?
Also, thanks for the help everyone. I appreciate it .
 
If you are worried about fighting I suggest changing your kitchen area. Move one hay bin and water bottle to the other side. This way they are not forced to go near each other when hungry/thirsty. A general rule of thumb is to space things out at least one body length away because even a well bonded pair can have bad days and might appreciate being able to retreat to their own house/kitchen etc. My boys have two bowls each. One for hay and one for pellets (they refuse to use the hay feeder I have and prefer the bowls) at opposite ends of the cage this helps prevent the dominant pig from just guarding the food area since she/he cannot be in two places at once. My oldest boar will also sometimes nap in front of a water bottle, this isn't an issue because of the second bottle on the opposite side. It looks pretty bare. Giving them tunnels and temporary hideys made out of cardboard boxes may help them feel safer and more comfortable since they can retreat somewhere. As long as the hideys have two ways for a pig to get in/out. Also toys! Whenever my boys are having one of their rowdier days I throw them a toilet paper roll cut in half or two separate rolls. Distractions can also help a bond go easier as they can be entertained without bothering their new friend
 
The wound is in an unusual spot, but it doesn't look infected. Please disinfect.

The relationship doesn't sound unusual. Small scratches are more common with skinnies, as they don't have the protection of the fur.

Please feed them in separate bowls several times a day (including pellets) in portions that can be eaten in one go to minimise food hogging.

Are there any changes in the interaction? Could the wound result from an injury rather than a bite?
 
Keiko The Pig said:
If you are worried about fighting I suggest changing your kitchen area. Move one hay bin and water bottle to the other side. This way they are not forced to go near each other when hungry/thirsty. A general rule of thumb is to space things out at least one body length away because even a well bonded pair can have bad days and might appreciate being able to retreat to their own house/kitchen etc. My boys have two bowls each. One for hay and one for pellets (they refuse to use the hay feeder I have and prefer the bowls) at opposite ends of the cage this helps prevent the dominant pig from just guarding the food area since she/he cannot be in two places at once. My oldest boar will also sometimes nap in front of a water bottle, this isn't an issue because of the second bottle on the opposite side. It looks pretty bare. Giving them tunnels and temporary hideys made out of cardboard boxes may help them feel safer and more comfortable since they can retreat somewhere. As long as the hideys have two ways for a pig to get in/out. Also toys! Whenever my boys are having one of their rowdier days I throw them a toilet paper roll cut in half or two separate rolls. Distractions can also help a bond go easier as they can be entertained without bothering their new friend
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@Keiko The Pig Here's the temporary (their fleece is washing). So there's two of everything and I threw in two paper rolls after. Will it ever be safe to put in snuggle sacks?

@Wiebke would applying saline a few times a day do the job? So far, they both are occupied with food and nothing much has changed. Still quite some rumblestrutting and normal pig behaviours though. I doubt it's from anything else since his nails are short and the hay is thin.
 
I have 2 girls that have been together for 3 years and as soon as cuddle sacks you in they fight even if I put 2 in
 
Cookies&Glitter said:
I have 2 girls that have been together for 3 years and as soon as cuddle sacks you in they fight even if I put 2 in
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Uh oh, it's probably better I not put in snuggle sacks then. But then how else do I keep my skinny pig warm? What cozy items are safe I wonder?
 
That looks better I'm sure they appreciate having their own space. You could try fleece tunnels or fleece forests as some people call them.
 
Keiko The Pig said:
That looks better I'm sure they appreciate having their own space. You could try fleece tunnels or fleece forests as some people call them.
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Ohh, good idea ! Thank you. I'm actually going to try and make some myself, so hope it goes well.
 
I'm making a big cozy hide for my 2 that don't fight maybe I should try a tunnel for the other 2. I found one tutorial that suggested using big cable ties to keep the ends open so I may try that myself
 
Cookies&Glitter said:
I'm making a big cozy hide for my 2 that don't fight maybe I should try a tunnel for the other 2. I found one tutorial that suggested using big cable ties to keep the ends open so I may try that myself
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Interesting. That sounds like a good idea, and would love to see the tutorial if possible! Feel free to show us your creations too if you care to.
 
Piggiekisses said:
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@Keiko The Pig Here's the temporary (their fleece is washing). So there's two of everything and I threw in two paper rolls after. Will it ever be safe to put in snuggle sacks?

@Wiebke would applying saline a few times a day do the job? So far, they both are occupied with food and nothing much has changed. Still quite some rumblestrutting and normal pig behaviours though. I doubt it's from anything else since his nails are short and the hay is thin.
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You can apply saline. See a vet if the wound looks deep and not just superficial.
 
Ok, so far it seems to be healing well. I am worried he will keep on losing weight though . Should I just keep on feeding his usual food(veg/fruit, hay, pellets)?
Lastly, there's still lots of rumblestrutting, buttdragging and sniffing, nose jabbing or nipping? Is this all ok and will it settle down ever?
 
Piggiekisses said:
Ok, so far it seems to be healing well. I am worried he will keep on losing weight though . Should I just keep on feeding his usual food(veg/fruit, hay, pellets)?
Lastly, there's still lots of rumblestrutting, buttdragging and sniffing, nose jabbing or nipping? Is this all ok and will it settle down ever?
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It will settle down. If necessary, feed them their veg and pellets separately, but the same stuff, and see whether that is doing the trick. Also make sure that hay can be accessed in two ways or you have it in two places, so it can't be blocked.
 
The dominance behaviour sounds normal. My bonded boys nose jab at each other almost everyday since spring hit and since my older one hit his teen phase. It doesn't seem to affect them at all. They'll still cry if separated. Nipping is a touchy dominance behaviour. It is normal but with a skinny pig probably more easily things can go too far as with hairy pigs if a pig nips too hard perhaps they pull some fur. But unfortunately your skinny doesn't have that extra protection. Spring is mating season so don't worry about mounting (as long as it isn't relentless) and butt dragging is a normal day to day activity for my two
 
Wiebke said:
It will settle down. If necessary, feed them their veg and pellets separately, but the same stuff, and see whether that is doing the trick. Also make sure that hay can be accessed in two ways or you have it in two places, so it can't be blocked.
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In that case, i'll keep up the usual routine and go from there. So it's alright to take one out for a while and feed them? I don't want reintroduction problems.

@Keiko The Pig okay, it's good to know this behaviour is not out of the usual. Yes, I guess that's why my poor boy got those little scratches/wounds. In the meantime, I guess I'll just wait and see mainly.
 
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