Proper Way To Introduce Two Sows To Each Other

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Justin

Justin

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I am going to be adopting a new guinea pig in a couple weeks. I am getting a sow from a friend at work. She has had this piggy for 2 years but will not be able to take care of this piggy anymore due to personal reasons. I am have really wanting to get Sophie a new friend but I pretty sure it is not that simple. I want advice on to easiest way to do it and things to look for while doing this.

I will be getting her in 2 weeks. I will be getting a new cage then that has more then enough room for 2 piggies. Any advice would be wonderful :)
 
You want to have them meet on neutral ground a place, room, floor that sofie hasn't been. Then you'll need to have the cage they will be in totally clean, meaning trying to not have Sofies smell on anything and also rearrange it as much as possible so it seems new to both of them.

During the first 15 to 30 min you should be able to tell if they accept each other. Give them ONE plate of veggies to share and some hay during the introduction. Them sharing food is a good sign.

You will probably see butt sniffing, sniffing under the chin, mounting, rumble strutting, it's hard to tell when they move to the dominance faze ( for me anyway) and some chasing maybe. So long as no one draws blood or seems overly agitated things should be fine. Very agitated is teeth chattering, raising up on back legs, biting.

One of them might squeal as if hurt but this is most likely just her submitting and saying leave me alone. Don't separate them unless you see blood or them rolled into one big ball of fur and have an oven mitt (to grab with) and or large towel and throw it over them ( it will distract them) DO NOT STICK YOUR HAND IN THERE UNPROTECTED!

Sows are much easier to introduce than boars. Just make sure that the cage is large enough for two sows to live in at least 7.5 sq feet I believe, but bigger is always better. You will also need to have two of everything, beds, bowls hides and water bottles so that they don't have much to fight about or get possessive over.

I'm sure someone else could give you a better answer but I think they're all asleep across the pond lol. I didn't want you stressing out all night.

Not too long ago I introduced a third sow to my two and things went very well, but I was a nervous wreck.

I think there are some stickes above on what to look for and how to do it.

Hope I helped,
Angela :)
 
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@KittyandNancy thank you so much for that. I did see the sticky but wanted to get more input. I think this will do very well for Sophie and i cannot let a guinea pig go to the shelter if I can help it. The link I'm going to post below is the cage I was looking at getting. I believe 9 square feet should be more then enough space for two piggies. I will however have to get another bowl andwater bottle for the new Piggie. Should I also get another another dispenser for hay or would one suffice for both. Again thank you for the input :)


http://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/candc-cage-covered-medium

Cage in question
 
I think that one would be ok, but a 2x4 would be best. I have two hay racks, because I have 3 pigs. When I just had Kitty and Nancy I only had one, but we brought them home together. I would probably get another one just to be safe, plus then you don't have to worry about them running out all the time. I feel like I fill my two at least 4 times a day lol.

Glad I could be of help.
Can't wait to see pics.

Angela
 
All three if mine will eat out of the same bowl at the same time. I have two in there, but I notice if I take one out! Then all of sudden they seem more possessive over just knowing there is only one in there lol. They're little weirdos.
 
If you are getting a piggy from a place where she hasn't undergone one, please quarantine it for 2-3 weeks first to make sure that she doesn't carry anything across.

After that, give your girls 1-2 days to suss each other out as next door neighbours through the bars. proceed if the signs are friendly. This helps to eliminate as many extra stress factors in the bonding proper.

The intro proper should be staged in a neutral area that is not part of any piggies usual territory. Acceptance (friendly greeting, ear grooming) should hopefully happen within half an hour of interaction. After that, the girls will move straight on into the dominance phase, which is the tough bit. Try not to interfere unless you see high aggression.
Sometimes, single girls can be very fear-agressive when faced with other piggies they have no idea how deal with. In this case, you have to take it very slowly and play it by ear. Once girls have made up their mind that they don't like somepig, they will unfortunately rarely change their mind, so it is a fine balance to strike, as separating too early is not productive either.

Here are our information threads from the top of the section, which should help you:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/importance-of-quarantine.108034/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-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/
 
I will be adopting the guinea pig today. Her name is nibbles and I will also be getting a cage for her as well to keep her quarantined from Sophie. In two weeks I will be getting a large C&C cage that has almost 11 square foot of space for them. Really hope this is for the best. Thanks for the advice everyone :)
 
Sounds AWESOME! I should have added that like Wiebkie said. I did have them in a split cage for about 2-3 days to smell each other ect.


I believe for quarantine you have to keep them in separate rooms. Will that be possible for you?
 
I would to add to here that my new guinea pig Nibbles is doing very well.
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She is currently quarantined in her own cage I bough when I got her today. The cage is small, a little smaller then Sophies but I will be getting a new cage for both of them in two weeks. Hopefully by them I can introduce them to each other and be one big happy family.
 
OMG! She's adorable! I want to snuggle her. I hope they get on okay. Just make sure they each get floor time everyday until their bigger cage arrives.

Can't wait to see more pics.
 
Congratulations, she is adorable :luv:. I've done several sow introductions over the years and none have been very easy, but all have worked eventually! I'd echo all the advice given above. After quarantine period is over it is best if they can be side by side but separated. You will often see some interaction between them and some encouraging signs. When you introduce them make sure the territory is completely neutral, spacious and has one pile of hay and one plate of veg to share. Assuming they will eat from the same pile without turning into a gnashing furball you can watch them longer. After they have eaten and /or had a nap is, for me one of the most anxious times, as that is often when the trouble erupts. Just remember that they are very vocal and that what can sound like a piggy in real pain is often far worse than it sounds, and as long as no one is being really hurt it it ok. It can be stressful for you as the running, chasing, mounting, nipping and noises can be very upsetting. But I don't intervene unless there is a major mid air furball (and yes, I have dealt with a couple of those in my time with a towel and an oven glove!)
When you move the piggies in together Make sure there is nowhere that anyone can get trapped. 2 exits to all hideys (plastic stools are best).
The policy of 2 of everything (with longer than a pig length space between bowls) stops one piggy dominating everything. If you can manage it then it is best to have 3 beds/hideys so there is one each and one to spare. This causes less friction.
Don't worry if they don't sleep together. Only a couple of my sow pairs have done that. My current sow pair who are very happy and stable never share a bed and only rarely share a hay tray.
Hope all goes well.
 
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