Introducing Plans

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5Pigs

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Hello everyone, tomorrow I'm gonna be getting one of my pigs a sister! I'm gonna be picking her up from a local animal shelter. The plan is to introduce them somewhere in a neutral area and deep clean the cage. I'm wondering if this is a good idea? Or if I should do more to prevent any fights from happening and to see what I can to help them like each other?
 
It is very important that you introduce them in a spacious neutral area. (spacious so that they can get away from each other if they want)
Provide many separate piles of hay and food in the introduction area to help divert their attention from fighting, and to relax the situation. If you see non-serious nips, rumble strutting, and other minor aggressive behavior this is normal. Only when they draw blood or bight each other on the neck/back is it time to separate them as it would be getting serious. In case things don't go well, keep a towel at the ready to protect your hands from getting bitten, should you need to separate them. Also, I wouldn't have any hideouts that your present guinea is used to as she will be protective. Use new DIY hideouts. (ie. add a couple doorways to a cardboard box 😂) But also make the doorways nice and large so that they don't get stuck fighting with each other in the same hideout.
It may take several hours or more for them to establish a pecking order, but during this time don't intervene unless you have to.
I hope the introduction goes well, and good luck! 😊
 
Zorro1 said:
It is very important that you introduce them in a spacious neutral area. (spacious so that they can get away from each other if they want)
Provide many separate piles of hay and food in the introduction area to help divert their attention from fighting, and to relax the situation. If you see non-serious nips, rumble strutting, and other minor aggressive behavior this is normal. Only when they draw blood or bight each other on the neck/back is it time to separate them as it would be getting serious. In case things don't go well, keep a towel at the ready to protect your hands from getting bitten, should you need to separate them. Also, I wouldn't have any hideouts that your present guinea is used to as she will be protective. Use new DIY hideouts. (ie. add a couple doorways to a cardboard box 😂) But also make the doorways nice and large so that they don't get stuck fighting with each other in the same hideout.
It may take several hours or more for them to establish a pecking order, but during this time don't intervene unless you have to.
I hope the introduction goes well, and good luck! 😊
Click to expand...
Thank you! I'm not worried about my piggy since she's very non-confidential the only thing I know she's gonna do is mount, the other pig to assert dominance. It's just the new piggy who I'm worried about as I don't know how she's going to react 😅 I'll definitely keep some mittens at the ready just in case if I have to break up any fights. Thank you for the tips, I'll inform everyone how it went once I get the new pig!
 
If the piggy you already have is generally mellow and maybe a bit older or past the "teen" stage (1+ years) you'll have a greater chance of things going well.
Hopefully all goes well with the intro!🤞 I look forward to hear how it goes. :)
 
The bonding guide below explains the whole process.

Provided both the sows are not babies (babies need to be bonded immediately), you would do best to have them live in separate but side by side cages for a few days before you attempt a neutral territory bonding. This can help them both settle and get used to each other. You may see fear aggression issues if you try to bond them too soon and if they are both on edge.
While bonding teen boars can be tricky (not impossible), it’s not necessarily the case for sows. They don’t have to be past their teens to be more likely to be successful (neither do boars though), as sows are wired to live in herds. What can happen though is that the older the sow the less willing they can be to accept a change, so bonding older sows can be trickier. Bonding two adult sows is not always plain sailing - you say you think your sow will want to establish dominance. Do you know anything about the new sow? If she is also dominant, then usually sows are not willing to give up their position. Whereas boars tend to mellow out with age, sows don’t.
A full on fight is less likely to occur when a bond fails when bonding sows, the signs of failure can be different.

The area needs to be neutral but there should not be any hides in the bonding pen at all.
Only give them hides once you feel they are ready to move them back into a cage.

The full bonding process takes two weeks, and it can still fail during this time even if they initially accept each other.

While you can follow the guide - neutral territory etx - the rest is down to the piggies and whether thry are going to like each other - they are either going to be compatible or they won’t. Make sure you have a back up plan.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

This guide also has a section on bonding sows

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
 
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Zorro1 said:
If the piggy you already have is generally mellow and maybe a bit older or past the "teen" stage (1+ years) you'll have a greater chance of things going well.
Hopefully all goes well with the intro!🤞 I look forward to hear how it goes. :)
Click to expand...
Yes! She just turned one this year in February!
 
Piggies&buns said:
The bonding guide below explains the whole process.

Provided both the sows are not babies (babies need to be bonded immediately), you would do best to have them live in separate but side by side cages for a few days before you attempt a neutral territory bonding. This can help them both settle and get used to each other. You may see fear aggression issues if you try to bond them too soon and if they are both on edge.
While bonding teen boars can be tricky (not impossible), it’s not necessarily the case for sows. They don’t have to be past their teens to be more likely to be successful (neither do boars though), as sows are wired to live in herds. What can happen though is that the older the sow the less willing they can be to accept a change, so bonding older sows can be trickier. Bonding two adult sows is not always plain sailing - you say you think your sow will want to establish dominance. Do you know anything about the new sow? If she is also dominant, then usually sows are not willing to give up their position. Whereas boars tend to mellow out with age, sows don’t.
A full on fight is less likely to occur when a bond fails when bonding sows, the signs of failure can be different.

The area needs to be neutral but there should not be any hides in the bonding pen at all.
Only give them hides once you feel they are ready to move them back into a cage.

The full bonding process takes two weeks, and it can still fail during this time even if they initially accept each other.

While you can follow the guide - neutral territory etx - the rest is down to the piggies and whether thry are going to like each other - they are either going to be compatible or they won’t. Make sure you have a back up plan.

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

This guide also has a section on bonding sows

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)

Sows: Behaviour and female health problems (including ovarian cysts)
Click to expand...
I don't know anything about the new pig as I don't have her yet 😅 I'm picking her up tomorrow
 
Oh ok - normally in this country a rescue would give you as much information as they have about the piggy before you brought them home. As with any on spec bonding it’s a case of hope for the best but prepare for the worst!
 
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I recently bonded two boars. One was a baby. I left them in the bonding pen all day and all night. Just to be sure they were ok with each other. Good luck. Hope it works out. 🤞
 
Hey everyone! Just giving an update! The new pig is ready for pickup I'm gonna be picking her up on Sunday as I can't on Saturday as it's my nephew's first birthday! I'm so excited I'll update you all on how it goes!
 
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