Rescue bonding advice...

[GuineaDigs]

Good afternoon all,

It's been a while! One of my guinea pigs has now passed away and i am now in the process of finding a new pig partner for my remaining pig. I found a rescue wih some baby boys which might work, i asked about bonding and their suggestion is to adopt one, split the cage in two, have them live side by side for a few weeks and see how it goes, if it doesn't work, return the new pig to the adoption centre.

This advice is not in line with that of this forum and i'm conflicted if their method will do any harm to the bonding process if i do that first or if i should ignore it completely.

Thanks,

 

[dhill_cb7]

Sorry for your loss. Experts will be along shortly.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Sorry for your loss.

Are they suggesting using living side by side an an indication of the prospect of bonding?

Being alongside each other for a short time won’t harm the bonding process - in fact in some cases it’s a good idea as they can get used to each other through the bars - but it won’t do is give a clear indication as to how the bonding will go. Only physically putting them together in neutral territory will do that. However, for babies, their need for companionship is so important that bonding as soon as possible would be advisable.

What country are you in?

Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics

 

[GuineaDigs]

@Piggies&buns thank you,

I got the impression they believe they'll get used to each other this way. Thanks for explaining, i'll keep them separated with the grids between them for a week or maybe two then?

I'm in England

 

[Piggies&buns]

@Piggies&buns thank you,

I got the impression they believe they'll get used to each other this way. Thanks for explaining, i'll keep them separated with the grids between them for a week or maybe two then?

I'm in England

Depending on the age of baby pig, then you would want to keep them separated by grids for the shortest time possible and carry out the bonding asap - a very young piggy then bonding would need to be done the day he is brought home, or a day or two after, not 1-2 weeks. A little older and a few days would probably be ok but under four months of age need to be in with other piggies.

 

[Wiebke]

Good afternoon all,

It's been a while! One of my guinea pigs has now passed away and i am now in the process of finding a new pig partner for my remaining pig. I found a rescue wih some baby boys which might work, i asked about bonding and their suggestion is to adopt one, split the cage in two, have them live side by side for a few weeks and see how it goes, if it doesn't work, return the new pig to the adoption centre.

This advice is not in line with that of this forum and i'm conflicted if their method will do any harm to the bonding process if i do that first or if i should ignore it completely.

Thanks,

Hi!

I am very sorry for your loss.

Please be aware that anybody can call themselves a rescue or breeder in the English speaking world without licensing or supervision. The other aspect is that by far not every rescue has somebody experienced and with enough time to conduct rescue dating. Some larger and especially multi-species rescues prefer not have owner pets on the premises due to the much increased infection/contagion risk. The RSPCA and the Blue Cross have a strict boar neutering policy, so they won't pair up any unneutered boars or won't offer bonding on the premises at all for sow/neutered boar pairings.

You may find these two links here helpful. One is a new guide I have written about the minefield of where to get your piggies from and the other is our carefully vetted list of recommended good welfare standard and practice rescues, the vast majority of which offer dating in some form.
Rescues (Adoption and Dating), Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs
Rescue Locator

Unfortunately, we cannot give you any better recommendations without knowing which county/part of the country you are in.

However, babies under 4 months should be introduced straight away because they very much rely on the support and guardianship of an older piggy.
Here are the links to our very comprehensive bonding guide (which includes chapters on baby and boar bonding) and an article series I have written for Guinea Pig Magazine charting the development of guinea pigs in stages from birth to death. You will find especially chapter 3 very interesting in this respect (it deals with the 'School Weeks between weaning and teenage; whose formative importance is very much overlooked).
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs

PS: Could you please add your country/county or large city to location in your account details by clicking on your username on the top bar; this is anonymous enough for your personal safety but detailed enough for us to give you the information you need straight away. Rescue and vet access can vary enormously even in England, depending on where you live but with members from literally all over the world, we have to take many more factors into our considerations and our specific answers can vary massively depending on the posters local options, climate and background.

 

[Stewybus]

With baby boys it's best to bond them with their new forever buddy as soon as possible after they have to leave mum.

At Tees Valley Guinea Pig Rescue we pop them in the bonding area, usually a ball pit. At some hay and veggies and/or fresh grass. What you're looking for is that the older boy isn't going to harm the baby. He will probably hump the baby but male piggies will hump whatever you try to bond them with.

Any sudden noise, we have a cuckoo clock, will get the baby hiding behind the adult for protection. These bondings are usually lifelong as by the time the babies are at their hormonal stages they will have a strong bond. We probably do about 20 a year and in the last 7 years have had only one where the bond was broken about 3 months later.