Is there any hope of bonding my 5 year old Sow?

[fireeflyz]

Hi,

I could really do with some advice about whether of not to keep trying to find a friend for my almost 5 year old sow Puffin.

Over Christmas she lost her sister Panda who she had lived with her whole life.

We have since tried to bond her with a 4 year old sow, but that failed, we tried twice a few weeks apart but both times ended in fighting. The second time only lasted 10 mins before they had a full on fight and blood was drawn.

Today we tried to bond her with two 10 month sows, Oreo and Nacho. They have been living in a separated cage to her the last week and today we tried to bond them in a neutral space. They only lasted 5-10 mins before a full on fight happened, Nacho got a small nip on the lip and lots of fur was pulled. Puffin seemed very uninterested in them (was just eating veggies) but she did make herself look very big by fluffing her fur. When Nacho came too close to her a full on attack happened very very quickly.

My question is do we
a) give Oreo and Nacho back to the rescue and try again with another piggie or two?
or b) Keep Oreo and Nacho and try again in a week or two?
or c) Keep Oreo and Nacho and have then permanently in a separated cage to Puffin? (The cage is split so Puffin has 2x4ft and Oreo and Nacho have 2x5ft) That way Puffin can still have some interaction.

It's probably also worth saying that back last Autumn we failed to bond Puffin and Panda with a boar. Panda was very submissive but after a day of bonding Puffin had enough and a fight broke out and she ended up with bites on her cheeks. We have assumed this means she is not happy being the less dominate piggy and don't think it's worth trying her with another boar?

Thanks!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,

I could really do with some advice about whether of not to keep trying to find a friend for my almost 5 year old sow Puffin.

Over Christmas she lost her sister Panda who she had lived with her whole life.

We have since tried to bond her with a 4 year old sow, but that failed, we tried twice a few weeks apart but both times ended in fighting. The second time only lasted 10 mins before they had a full on fight and blood was drawn.

Today we tried to bond her with two 10 month sows, Oreo and Nacho. They have been living in a separated cage to her the last week and today we tried to bond them in a neutral space. They only lasted 5-10 mins before a full on fight happened, Nacho got a small nip on the lip and lots of fur was pulled. Puffin seemed very uninterested in them (was just eating veggies) but she did make herself look very big by fluffing her fur. When Nacho came too close to her a full on attack happened very very quickly.

My question is do we
a) give Oreo and Nacho back to the rescue and try again with another piggie or two?
or b) Keep Oreo and Nacho and try again in a week or two?
or c) Keep Oreo and Nacho and have then permanently in a separated cage to Puffin? (The cage is split so Puffin has 2x4ft and Oreo and Nacho have 2x5ft) That way Puffin can still have some interaction.

It's probably also worth saying that back last Autumn we failed to bond Puffin and Panda with a boar. Panda was very submissive but after a day of bonding Puffin had enough and a fight broke out and she ended up with bites on her cheeks. We have assumed this means she is not happy being the less dominate piggy and don't think it's worth trying her with another boar?

Thanks!

Hi and welcome!

In view of having two sows with leadership/fear-aggression issues, I would recommend to keep your three sows next to each other with full level stimulation and interaction through the bars (body language, scent and vocalisation) and to draw a line under any bonding attempts. Older sows often prefer their own territory; especially when they come out of a long companionship, are feeling vulnerable/insecure and do not want to give up their leadership.

You may find this guide here helpful: Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

PS: Welcome to the 'Handbags a Dawn' club! We have got quite a few members with rambunctious unbondable older sows on here; I have nice collection of those t-shirts myself in my piggy cupboard.

 

[Free Ranger]

It sounds like Puffin is used to being her own boss. Usually there is a bit of facing off or chasing before scuffling, but if she is going from tense to aggressive so fast it doesn't really bode that well. I had a very spirited boss-sow called Zara who was very happy with her friend Louise and fought both my big gentle boar and his lively companion (who broke into Zara and Louise's enclosure one day - tufts of hair all over!) but Zara and Louise lived as bar-neighbours to George and Flora quite peacefully.
In your shoes I would be tempted to keep the new girls as bar-neighbours as long as Puffin seems content and is not either attacking the bars or isolating herself away from the pair. It is sometimes hard for an owner to bond with their new pigs after a failed bonding with your 'family' piggy... I certainly struggled at the start with my new girls as George had immediately taken a shine to Louise and was sad about the bars being replaced. He wanted company. However, fate unexpectedly brought us Flora within a month and although it wasn't romance in many ways it was better as she livened him up no end. I think when I saw my George happy again I was able to open my heart more to the new arrivals. If you see your old girl content in her own space and interacting through the bars I think you will warm to them too x