Introducing A New Pig

[Starboy]

Hey everyone. I'm not sure if this is the right section for this, but here goes: I've had my guinea pig Mr.Igloo for about 1 year. I decided I wanted to get him a friend. I chose a male companion, due to the fact that I don't want babies running around. The pet store brought in a very young guinea, I'd say no older than a month. He's extremely docile and sweet. Mr.Igloo seems really interested in the newcomer. When I let them spend some time together, he circles the baby and nudges him with his nose. He's never aggressive with him, and has never tried to bite him. They just run around and chase each other while making noises. Is that a good sign?
I also wanted to ask, how long should I wait before putting them in the same cage? I tried today, but Mr.Igloo seemed a little selfish. Alexander (the baby) was trying to eat, and Mr.Igloo just got on top of the food bowl and covered the food. They seem to be getting along, but I'm not sure if it would be safe to have them in the same cage yet or not.

 

[Elitah]

I have to admit that I dn't have experience with introducing two males, but whenever we introduced piggies to each other, we did it on neutral territory, in a roo which the piggies were usually not in (in our case the bathroom). We would also take everything out of the cage and clean it thoroughly before putting fresh beeding etc. in and then putting the piggies in.

 

[Starboy]

I have to admit that I dn't have experience with introducing two males, but whenever we introduced piggies to each other, we did it on neutral territory, in a roo which the piggies were usually not in (in our case the bathroom). We would also take everything out of the cage and clean it thoroughly before putting fresh beeding etc. in and then putting the piggies in.

I did it on a neutral territory, took both of 'them out of their cages and put them on my bed. I also cleaned the cage and put new bedding in before putting them inside. They don't seem to be bothered by each other, but I'm just wondering if their behavior is normal. I also forgot to mention that Mr.Igloo tries to mount the baby. I suppose that is a sign of him trying to show dominance?

 

[Elitah]

I also forgot to mention that Mr.Igloo tries to mount the baby. I suppose that is a sign of him trying to show dominance?

I think that's it. We have had that with two female piggies as well. During the first one or two days, we noticed there was always a bit of bickering going on and they didn't seem completely friendly, but they always settled down quickly. I'd also make sure each of them has their own food bowl. Ours still tend to eat from the same bowl, but if one starts pushing the other one away, they can wander over to a different bowl.

 

[Wiebke]

Hey everyone. I'm not sure if this is the right section for this, but here goes: I've had my guinea pig Mr.Igloo for about 1 year. I decided I wanted to get him a friend. I chose a male companion, due to the fact that I don't want babies running around. The pet store brought in a very young guinea, I'd say no older than a month. He's extremely docile and sweet. Mr.Igloo seems really interested in the newcomer. When I let them spend some time together, he circles the baby and nudges him with his nose. He's never aggressive with him, and has never tried to bite him. They just run around and chase each other while making noises. Is that a good sign?
I also wanted to ask, how long should I wait before putting them in the same cage? I tried today, but Mr.Igloo seemed a little selfish. Alexander (the baby) was trying to eat, and Mr.Igloo just got on top of the food bowl and covered the food. They seem to be getting along, but I'm not sure if it would be safe to have them in the same cage yet or not.

Please always introduce on neutral ground and brace for dominance behaviours. Once you have committed to a boar bonding, you cannot abort until there is a serious fight or excessive bullying to the degree that the submissive boar cannot eat, sleep or drink without being humped incessantly. You can introduce as soon as you have read our guide and set up a bonding area outside the cage. Tips, pictures and some videos are in our guide.

Take the time to carefully read our bonding guide; it is very detailed and talks you through all the phases of a bonding from preparation until the end of the dominance phase, social behaviours at every stage as well as special aspects of sow, boar or mixed gender and group bondings. This should help you to understand the dynamics and judge what is going on correctly.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

 

[Merab]

Good luck

 

[VickiA]

Great advice from @Wiebke. The guides are the best information available and are written following years of experience.
Hope all goes well.