New Guinea And Bonding

[ilovepets]

Hello. i have just adopted a 3 year old female guinea. i got her to be a companion to my other 3 year old female guinea as her cage friend passed away recently. the new guinea pig called bubbles has had a quiet night resting but she has not eaten any dried food yet although has had some fresh lettuce and cucumber. she is used to being handled but obviously nervous. i have read about bonding and how to do it, so i was just wondering when is the best time to start? should i leave her to settle in a bit longer first. she just looks so scared at the moment. thank you.

 

[Wiebke]

I would leave your newbie to settle in first and get her bearings. It also pays letting the two sows become friends through the bars for a few days as next door neighbours. See how they interact and take your clues from there.

Has your new sow had a quarantine at the rescue you have adopted her from?

Whether they will ultimately get on or not when they finally meet is down to their individual personalities and how dominant they both are; but you can take as many extraneous stress factors out of the equation as possible.

Older sows are often a lot more timid and take longer to settle into a new relationship in new surroundings. They are also more prone to be fear-aggressive or defensive when meeting new friends, so it pays to take things very slowly.
When bonding older sows, they can often go right up to the line, but are often very careful not to step over it and end up with a tussle; but it can be very nerve-racking for any owner. That said, once they settle with a new friend or group they are happy with, they become totally new piggies once they feel happy and have gained in confidence. I have and had quite a few of them; if it works out, it is a very satisfying feeling for you, too!

Here are tips:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/importance-of-quarantine.108034/

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...stincts-and-speak-piggy-body-language.117031/

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/introducing-and-re-introducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/