Introducing A New Baby Pig

Shannon R

Shannon R

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
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Location
New Brunswick, Canada
Hi guys,

Looking for some advice. Here is my situation.

I lost one of my boys in June(Spike). I had him and his brother(Marbles and Spike). I got another pig(Beanie) for Marbles, who was left alone after his brother died. Long story short, they do not get along, Beanie was rescued from a bad situation and from what I can tell, will never be good partner for another pig. So they are housed separately but side by side, they seem to like this(see pic)

However, I really want Marbles to have a cage mate so we recently adopted a 5 month old pig(Nibbles). I am looking for advice on the best way to introduce them since I have Beanie along side of Marbles. Should I introduce the new pig by creating a cage for him along side both guineas so he can get used to them...and then introduce Marbles and Nibbles(on neutral territory and all of that)...and then put marbles and nibbles together? Would having Beanie close cause trouble?

Anyone on here done this before?Any thoughts?

Also any advice on having a young pig? Never had one before, he seem very hyper and skittish compared to the other too but of course, he was just adopted and is getting used to his surroundings. I plan on making the cage even bigger for the two of them..it is currently 4x2 C&C type cage

IMG_9420.JPG.webp
 
I don't think having the two sides by side should affect the bonding- a friend of mine has 7 piggies of different sexes near each other and her bonds are all still ok. I think you should definitely expect some bar chewing and rumbling coming from the boar in the cage by himself (well maybe even both sides) but this will eventually calm down. I myself only have my two boys so I can't really extend on that as I have no personal experience but I'm sure this will bump your thread up and a member with more piggies can give you a more detailed response :)
 
I would do the bonding of Marbles and Nibbles away from Beanie as it will just confuse them. They need to focus on each other and work out who is boss.
Once they are bonded it should be ok to have them alongside but l usually provide a barrier between part of the shared wall so they can get away from each other if they want to.
I wouldn't give up completely on finding Beanie a pal. We managed to pair up a piggy who had 12 dates before his lucky 13 date. It's all about personalities at the end of the day.
 
Awwww he is cute, lovely spikey fur!

I would intro as normal in neutral territory, and leave them together for as long as possible in it before transferring to the cage (all cleaned out) so no scent in there. Have you read the bonding guide on the forum?
 
sport_billy said:
Awwww he is cute, lovely spikey fur!

I would intro as normal in neutral territory, and leave them together for as long as possible in it before transferring to the cage (all cleaned out) so no scent in there. Have you read the bonding guide on the forum?
Click to expand...


Yes I have! Just unsure what to do with the third piggy. Should I put him away from the other two for a bit until the other two have bonded? As you can see above, they completely next to each other. Thanks for the reply :)
 
pig in the city said:
I would do the bonding of Marbles and Nibbles away from Beanie as it will just confuse them. They need to focus on each other and work out who is boss.
Once they are bonded it should be ok to have them alongside but l usually provide a barrier between part of the shared wall so they can get away from each other if they want to.
I wouldn't give up completely on finding Beanie a pal. We managed to pair up a piggy who had 12 dates before his lucky 13 date. It's all about personalities at the end of the day.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the reply! That is what I was thinking, might be confusing to have the Beanie on the other side. Do you think I put nibbles on his own side of the cage(make a new part) so he can get used to their scents? Or just go ahead and introduce them on neutral territory?
 
Shannon R said:
Yes I have! Just unsure what to do with the third piggy. Should I put him away from the other two for a bit until the other two have bonded? As you can see above, they completely next to each other. Thanks for the reply :)
Click to expand...
Yes put him away from others
 
I tend to just go for it. But others recommend living alongside for a few days. I have done it both ways in the past and basically l think if it's going to work it will and if they are not compatible no amount of living alongside will help.
If you have just got him it is usually advisable to let him settle in for a few days before you start the bonding. If he hasn't come from a reputable rescue quarantine him for 2 weeks first.
 
Hi! Please do the bonding away from Nibbles in a neutral area.

Take the time to read these two guides here; they explain everything in great detail and cover the whole period from preparation to the end of the dominance phase on average a couple of weeks later.
Please be aware that you cannot interrupt a boar bonding; once you have committed, you need to ride the tiger and have to sit it out until it fails (fight or truly excessive nonstop humping that clearly bothers the other boar). If necessary, you leave the boys in the bonding pen overnight. Always wait until your piggies have had a nap together in the bonding and are still fine together afterwards before you think about transferring them to the cage. Make sure that you have a day or ideally two days for observation.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs

All the best! Please be aware that your boy at 5 months is fully in the teenage months, so he is more likely to go overboard with his hormones and humping.
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Please do the bonding away from Nibbles in a neutral area.

Take the time to read these two guides here; they explain everything in great detail and cover the whole period from preparation to the end of the dominance phase on average a couple of weeks later.
Please be aware that you cannot interrupt a boar bonding; once you have committed, you need to ride the tiger and have to sit it out until it fails (fight or truly excessive nonstop humping that clearly bothers the other boar). If necessary, you leave the boys in the bonding pen overnight. Always wait until your piggies have had a nap together in the bonding and are still fine together afterwards before you think about transferring them to the cage. Make sure that you have a day or ideally two days for observation.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs

All the best! Please be aware that your boy at 5 months is fully in the teenage months, so he is more likely to go overboard with his hormones and humping.
Click to expand...


Thanks Wiebke, helpful as always. If things all go well..do you think it is alright to put the lone pig back alongside the other two(like I have above)? If so, how long do you think I should wait until doing so?
 
Shannon R said:
Thanks Wiebke, helpful as always. If things all go well..do you think it is alright to put the lone pig back alongside the other two(like I have above)? If so, how long do you think I should wait until doing so?
Click to expand...

If he is there next to the boys before they bond, then you basically just move them into a cage next to him. That way, he is just part of the furniture. it is just the bonding proper that should be in a place that is not part of any piggy's territory. Once the new bond is stable (i.e. leadership has been sorted and the boys will happily get on even after they have had a sleep and have woken up with a new piggy with them, then you just move them into their forever home.
 
Wiebke said:
If he is there next to the boys before they bond, then you basically just move them into a cage next to him. That way, he is just part of the furniture. it is just the bonding proper that should be in a place that is not part of any piggy's territory. Once the new bond is stable, then you just move them into their forever home.
Click to expand...

Ohhh gotcha! Yes of course he won't be in the neutral area but its okay once they have bonded to put them next to him in their separate cage. I miss understood :) I am so anxious to try again since Beanie and Marbles did not work out, unfortunately they don't have great guinea rescues here with boar dating options. Should I wait until the teenage hormones simmer down? Not sure how long that last.
 
Shannon R said:
Ohhh gotcha! Yes of course he won't be in the neutral area but its okay once they have bonded to put them next to him in their separate cage. I miss understood :) I am so anxious to try again since Beanie and Marbles did not work out, unfortunately they don't have great guinea rescues here with boar dating options. Should I wait until the teenage hormones simmer down? Not sure how long that last.
Click to expand...

Just see how it goes. The teenage months go from 4-14 months. Dominant boars can go on overdrive when bonding during that time and lose the on-switch for their brains as he gonads take over... ;)
 
Good luck with the bonding! As others have said, I'm sure lovely Beanie would appreciate a friend as well one day :) Even pigs who have been on their own their whole lives eventually find someone to bond with and are very grateful. I personally don't think any pig prefers to be on their own, some are just super picky about who they will live with. If you have any rescues who will at least accept a pig back who doesn't bond with him then that will certainly be helpful! :)
 
The pigs are very chatty with each other and have not even met one another just in the same room! haha is this a good sign? Going to introduce Marbles and Nibbles very soon. Any advice on whether I should make an enclosure or just let them go on the kitchen floor with a blanket?
 
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