I have two female guinea pigs ( 5 months) and have just taken on two more (three years old). What is the best way to introduce them safely? Some say just let them get on with it and they will sort themselves out, others say separate and introduce gradually. Any ideas or advice appreciated. Thankyou!
Safe introductions
- Thread starter Maddy T
- Start date
Emx93
Adult Guinea Pig
Hi, I'm by no means a bonding expert (one will hopefully be along soon) but is there anyway that after initial quarentine you could put them in neighbouring cages for a couple of weeks to let them get to know each other through the bars? Then introduce on neutral territory for a few hours till they've all ideally had aa few nnaps together and woken up OK and thoroughly disinfect and clean the cage before putting them all back in together if bonding is going well, there's lots of information on bonding in the files 
good luck and congrats on the new piggies xx
good luck and congrats on the new piggies xx
Emx93
Adult Guinea Pig
Have you already introduced them? If so don't seperatee unless serious fights threaten as they have to start the bonding all over again
if you haven't though, some time as neighbours can help them get used to each other xx
Emx93
Adult Guinea Pig
I recently did a slow bond with my 1 year old spayed sow with fearr aggression and 4 year old rescue princess, they'd both had some unsuccessful meetings previously with other pigs but the time to get to know each other through the divide really helped us and they are doing very well together now
Don’t continually separate reintroduce. It is incredibly stressful for them and interrupts the bonding process meaning they have to start from the beginning every single time.
Are they healthy? The first step is usually quarantine but if they have come from a rescue centre they should be vet checked. You might still be wise to just keep them separate to ensure they aren’t carrying any illnesses first.
It can also be useful to house then next door to your original pair to get to know each other through the bars.
Once you decide to do the introduction and bonding you have to fully commit. Put them in a neutral bonding pen for several hours, all day if necessary. While they are in there, you need to fully clean down and rearrange the cage. You don’t want you original pair rejecting the newcomers on the basis of them seeing them as invading their territory.
Once they are happy together you can move them over to the cage but do be aware that fully bonding and establishing a hierarchy takes a couple of weeks so you will continue to see dominance behaviours once they are in the cage. Don’t step in unless a full on fight breaks out and it becomes obvious the bond is failing. Always have a back up plan to separate if the need arises. Character compatibility is vital when it comes to successful bonding and there is always a risk that the original piggies won’t accept the newcomers.
All the information on bonding can be found in the guides on the bonding section.
Are they healthy? The first step is usually quarantine but if they have come from a rescue centre they should be vet checked. You might still be wise to just keep them separate to ensure they aren’t carrying any illnesses first.
It can also be useful to house then next door to your original pair to get to know each other through the bars.
Once you decide to do the introduction and bonding you have to fully commit. Put them in a neutral bonding pen for several hours, all day if necessary. While they are in there, you need to fully clean down and rearrange the cage. You don’t want you original pair rejecting the newcomers on the basis of them seeing them as invading their territory.
Once they are happy together you can move them over to the cage but do be aware that fully bonding and establishing a hierarchy takes a couple of weeks so you will continue to see dominance behaviours once they are in the cage. Don’t step in unless a full on fight breaks out and it becomes obvious the bond is failing. Always have a back up plan to separate if the need arises. Character compatibility is vital when it comes to successful bonding and there is always a risk that the original piggies won’t accept the newcomers.
All the information on bonding can be found in the guides on the bonding section.
Hi,Have you already introduced them? If so don't seperatee unless serious fights threaten as they have to start the bonding all over again
Yes I have. I separated them for a few hours, then introduced them over some dandelion leaves! They are currently in the garden in the run together so it is neutral ground and they are squeaking a bit, but eating grass. So first impressions seem positive. Should I continue to separate after?
Emx93
Adult Guinea Pig
No If all is going well leave them together, seperaatingg will stress them out and mean you have to start the process again, just be sure to deep clean and rearrange the cage before moving them inside
and ideally keep them in neutral territory for a few hours of alll going well before moving them inside, there's information in the bonding guides on what is normal and what is not xx
Tiamolly123
Senior Guinea Pig
Make sure the cages clean so there are no scents.
The other thing I did was move all the toys, bridges etc so again they can't claim things as mine. They will be so happy that it's upside down they will forgot the newbies joining them.
The other thing I did was move all the toys, bridges etc so again they can't claim things as mine. They will be so happy that it's upside down they will forgot the newbies joining them.
It is a new hutch, well actually it is a shed, that they can run free in, so hopefully they have enough room and there aren't too many ingrained smells. The guinea pigs I have just adopted are so enormous they can't fit in the toys anyway lol. Thankyou x