Introducing baby guinea pig?

[pradababie]

Hi so I'm not really sure if this post goes here, but i need help.

I recently got an 8 week old pig as i wanted to add a fourth pig to my herd. My existing herd has 3 males who are pretty friendly. However- two of my males are fairly large pigs and I'm afraid that they might crush the little one? Second, i have a c&c cage and the baby can absolutely squeeze through the gaps.

So would it be ok to keep the baby in a separate cage til hes bigger? Or is there a way i can introduce them safely? And if so how do i baby proof my cage?

Also all my pigs are males btw

 

[Siikibam]

how old are the boars in the trio? And how long have they been together? It’s rare to have a functional boar trio so I don’t think it would be advisable to add another.

You have to bear in mind that the baby will one day become a teen. That could lead to him wanting to takeover as top pig. Introducing him could also cause a rift in the bonds of your trio.

Piggies under four months need companionship more than the need to quarantine in case of any illnesses. You will have to bond him now. If you decide to put him with the trio then have a backup plan. Otherwise your other option is to try him with one of them - ending up with two pairs.

 

[Tara95]

Hi boar trios are very unlikely to work and having 4 makes it virtually impossible. Is there any chance you could have two pairs of males seperately? As he's young he really needs to be bonded immediately ideally to just one of them. And also how big is your cage?

 

[pradababie]

how old are the boars in the trio? And how long have they been together? It’s rare to have a functional boar trio so I don’t think it would be advisable to add another.

You have to bear in mind that the baby will one day become a teen. That could lead to him wanting to takeover as top pig. Introducing him could also cause a rift in the bonds of your trio.

Piggies under four months need companionship more than the need to quarantine in case of any illnesses. You will have to bond him now. If you decide to put him with the trio then have a backup plan. Otherwise your other option is to try him with one of them - ending up with two pairs.

Hi boar trios are very unlikely to work and having 4 makes it virtually impossible. Is there any chance you could have two pairs of males seperately? As he's young he really needs to be bonded immediately ideally to just one of them. And also how big is your cage?

The boars are 4, 3.5 and 1.5. The two oldest have been together for almost 3 years and the 1.5 year old was introduced a year ago. Their cage is 40 sq ft and they all get along. I could keep them seperately but the 3 are bonded. How do i go about properly trying to introduce them?

 

[Siikibam]

You need to do it on neutral ground - somewhere that doesn’t smell of any of them. Only hay in the middle and no hides. Before you put them back you need to thoroughly clean the cage and rearrange it. As said have a plan b in case it doesn’t work out.

 

[Piggies&buns]

its great you’ve got a functioning trio - its rare to get a boar trio to be able to work.
do follow the bonding guides on how to introduce piggies but you do need to be aware that adding a fourth runs the risk of causing huge problems, and particularly once the youngest gets to his teens this could all fall apart. Have a plan b to separate them into pairs if things go wrong.
your cage measures just under 4 square metres but we would highly recommend having at least a square metre per boar so if you can expand your cage at all, then it would be of benefit. It won’t increase the chances of it working (only character compatibility can make a bond work and buying a piggy on spec means you have no idea if they will have compatibility) but giving them at least a square metre per piggy means they have a good sized territory each.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?