Too soon for new piggies?

Darcey15

Darcey15

Teenage Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 13, 2018
Messages
811
Reaction score
1,459
Points
650
Location
Lancashire
I'm busily reading up on @Wiebke post earlier about dominance etc as I'm thinking about adding to the 2 pigs I have. Currently Domino and Gregory have been together about 3 weeks now, Gregory being the baby (he's 4 months now) and Domino 4 1/2 years, who lost his brother in January and now has his new rather lively pal. Domino is a placid piggie & has been very accomodating so far. Neither him or his brother were dominant, in fact they argued routinely over who was having which sleeping space. It was over very quickly with a chatter or a mild nip and that was that. Introducing Gregory was interesting. He's very young, much smaller but turning out to be a force to be reckoned with. So far Domino has dominated the sleeping quarters (there are a few to choose from all with 2 exits) but dominate seems a strong word as he's behaving in the same way he did with his brother, not submissive at all but almost like this kid won't give up so I'm heading elsewhere for peace. The last few days Gregory, as tiny as he is in comparison, has been rumblestrutting like mad, trying to hump Domino and going back for more. Domino's reaction is to walk away (quickly) and if it gets too much to face up, teeth chattering until Gregory scuttles off. I think Domino is such a placid pig & wont hurt him, but he will make his limit clear. I'm really proud of how he's taken Gregory on board & they are ok eating together & sometimes stay in the same hay box together too so I'm not worried.

I do wonder though how the intro of new pigs will mess up any bond. The new pig palace I'm making has been hampered by snow. It's been insulated & I plan to complete it this week which should make room for a few more piggies. I know 4 might be a problem and 10 is too much but if I brought in another 4 pigs, especially boars, I'm not sure exactly how to bond them all.

I can alter the set up to separate them if need be & have plenty of room but I really want to do the right thing to make it work.

Is it too soon on a newly bonded successful pair to introduce more or should I just get on with it and try?

My sis managed it quite effectively with her girl herd but the boys might react differently.
 
Boars are best kept in pairs and no more. Unless you have a huge mansion to keep them in! If I were you I wouldn’t dare introduce another piggy to the pair. If you feel you want to have more pigs then you can get another pair of boars and keep them separate to Domino & Gregory. Or start a herd of girls. Keeping separate again, and out of smelling distance of the boys - they could set off fighting amongst them.

I’d also prepare yourself for when gregory hits the teenage years at 6 months. The dominance display may get worse - more incessant humping etc.
 
I can only agree with the above. It is highly risky adding any more piggies to a bonded pair, even more so when your youngest one is about to hit the hormonal stage of his life. I remember reading that it's something like a group of ten before they are as stable as a pair. The worst case scenario you would have is 3 boars who end up falling out and refusing to live with either of the other two
 
Thanks 👍 advice duly taken on board. I'm going to have alot of space once complete & can build upwards a few levels if need be and create separate sections. Just mulling things over at the moment and the priority now is to finish the new home & get the boys settled in it (pending Gregory's teenage antics!).

I'd still be interested in hearing from anyone who has successfully bonded multiple bonded boars with 2 bonded boars or what has worked for others and if there are examples of success out there I'd be very keen to hear how you did it! I can go down the 2 separate pens route anyway so I don't need to take any risks.

Final question.....If the existing boars are separate, but close enough to smell any new additions could that in itself cause a problem?
 
Final question.....If the existing boars are separate, but close enough to smell any new additions could that in itself cause a problem?

It didn’t cause any problems when I put Teddy and Sooty together and Stewie on his own and they could all get close enough to touch each other as they’re only separated by C&C cage grids. When I went to a rescue to see about pairing Stewie up with another boar, they made me buy a proplex protection sheet from Wickes so the two pairs wouldn’t be able to see each other so that could be an option if a new addition does cause a problem.

I don’t think it’s advisable that you put a female in smelling distance though as I’ve heard that can cause fights, otherwise I’d have tried Stewie with a sow.
 
Thanks 👍 yes I've got some frosted squares I could use if it comes to that. I'm going to stick with boys though & the local rescue has only girls at the moment so I'll wait. My sister has all girls (including Domino's sister) so it's good to keep them all separate but nice to cuddle the sows when I see them. The boys are huge in comparison though!

Thanks for your reply x
 
Aw best of both worlds. I’ve only ever had boys too, even though they’re guinea pigs I feel more suited to boys, I’m not girly enough for girls lol. I hope all goes well for you and your piggies x
 
xToNix said:
Aw best of both worlds. I’ve only ever had boys too, even though they’re guinea pigs I feel more suited to boys, I’m not girly enough for girls lol. I hope all goes well for you and your piggies x
Click to expand...
Same seeing as I've got the only boy children in the family too, 2 boy gerbils and the pigs so may as well continue 😂
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top