1 Pig To 2

[Guinea10]

Hey, so I have a 7 month old sow and she's lived by herself for a long time and I'm planning on getting a 4 month old sow. I'm still uncertain of how I should introduce them. Shall I keep them separate for 2 weeks (just in case of ringworm/skin parasite development) and then put my 7 month in the 4 month's cage? Or, the other option is introducing them straight away in a new cage which will be neutral ground for both.

P.S the cage that I'm putting the 4 month old guinea pig in will be a bigger cage than the one my 7 month old guinea pig is currently in (hence why I'd move the older one).

 

[Swissgreys]

It is great that you are thinking of getting a companion for your current sow, but please take the time to do some research and introduce them properly.
Putting one guinea pig directly into the cage of another is an absolute disaster waiting to happen.

Both girls need to be introduced on totally neutral territory with no houses or places to hide or get cornered in.
Please take the time to read through the guides on introductions here:
Behaviour and Bonding

I only say this from experience.
I also thought it would be ok to just put the piggies together and expect them to get on with it, but a fairly 'exciting' bonding made me realise the importance of taking the time to do it properly.

 

[Guinea10]

It is great that you are thinking of getting a companion for your current sow, but please take the time to do some research and introduce them properly.
Putting one guinea pig directly into the cage of another is an absolute disaster waiting to happen.

Both girls need to be introduced on totally neutral territory with no houses or places to hide or get cornered in.
Please take the time to read through the guides on introductions here:
Behaviour and Bonding

I only say this from experience.
I also thought it would be ok to just put the piggies together and expect them to get on with it, but a fairly 'exciting' bonding made me realise the importance of taking the time to do it properly.

Thank you! And I have been doing lots of research on proper introductions. Do you recommend the 2 week separation period before the introduction?

 

[Janice C]

Hello and welcome!
Great that you getting your piggy a new companion!
You are right to quarantine the new one for 2 weeks but then use a completely neutral territory as already suggested.
Good too that you have invested in a bigger cage for them.

 

[Wiebke]

Hey, so I have a 7 month old sow and she's lived by herself for a long time and I'm planning on getting a 4 month old sow. I'm still uncertain of how I should introduce them. Shall I keep them separate for 2 weeks (just in case of ringworm/skin parasite development) and then put my 7 month in the 4 month's cage? Or, the other option is introducing them straight away in a new cage which will be neutral ground for both.

P.S the cage that I'm putting the 4 month old guinea pig in will be a bigger cage than the one my 7 month old guinea pig is currently in (hence why I'd move the older one).

Hi!

If you get a new guinea pig from a background that you do not have any information about and are not guaranteed that a guinea pig is healthy/fully quarantined, then you have two options: to quarantine in a separate room or to introduce both guinea pigs with the knowledge that you will need to treat both if there is a problem. Depending on the country you live in, especially one with very high vet cost like the US, Canada or Australia, this an important consideration as it can quickly become a rather expensive learning curve.

Before introducing the two sows, please give them time to get used to each other through the bars for a few days. Observe how they interact with each other. Do not try an introduction if there is teeth chattering through the bars!
When introducing single guinea pigs, you need to be aware that they often have not learned to deal with other guinea pigs and can be very insecure. This can manifest in over the top dominance behaviour or very hostile behaviour (see the chapter about fear aggression).
Please take the time to read our very detailed bonding guide that talks you through all stages of a bonding, from the preparation to the end of the dominance phase some weeks later. As you have got two cages, you have at least a plan B handy if things don't work out between the two girls. Personally, I would not stage the introduction proper in either cage if it is already one party's territory.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour

 

[Guinea10]

Hi!

If you get a new guinea pig from a background that you do not have any information about and are not guaranteed that a guinea pig is healthy/fully quarantined, then you have two options: to quarantine in a separate room or to introduce both guinea pigs with the knowledge that you will need to treat both if there is a problem. Depending on the country you live in, especially one with very high vet cost like the US, Canada or Australia, this an important consideration as it can quickly become a rather expensive learning curve.

Before introducing the two sows, please give them time to get used to each other through the bars for a few days. Observe how they interact with each other. Do not try an introduction if there is teeth chattering through the bars!
When introducing single guinea pigs, you need to be aware that they often have not learned to deal with other guinea pigs and can be very insecure. This can manifest in over the top dominance behaviour or very hostile behaviour (see the chapter about fear aggression).
Please take the time to read our very detailed bonding guide that talks you through all stages of a bonding, from the preparation to the end of the dominance phase some weeks later. As you have got two cages, you have at least a plan B handy if things don't work out between the two girls. Personally, I would not stage the introduction proper in either cage if it is already one party's territory.
Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour

Thanks, this was very helpful

 

[Freela]

I do suggest the 2-week quarantine if you are introducing a pig whose health history you aren't sure of. It's just safer than risking one of them coming down with something that spreads to the other pig, which could be quite costly and in the case of respiratory infections and such, could be dangerous to both of them. Once you do introductions, you should do it in neutral territory. Placing a new pig in the other pig's territory is a recipe for a bad reaction. We have some good stickies at the top of the behavior page about how to conduct introductions, so that would be a good place to start. If your are going to be reusing a cage from either pig, it will be really important to make it feel neutral to both. Scrub it down thoroughly to remove any scents from the pig previously living in it, and perhaps rearrange items to make it 'new.' Removing scent is really important, as a pig bonding can go badly awry if a pig feels an invader is entering 'their' space.

 

[Guinea10]

I do suggest the 2-week quarantine if you are introducing a pig whose health history you aren't sure of. It's just safer than risking one of them coming down with something that spreads to the other pig, which could be quite costly and in the case of respiratory infections and such, could be dangerous to both of them. Once you do introductions, you should do it in neutral territory. Placing a new pig in the other pig's territory is a recipe for a bad reaction. We have some good stickies at the top of the behavior page about how to conduct introductions, so that would be a good place to start. If your are going to be reusing a cage from either pig, it will be really important to make it feel neutral to both. Scrub it down thoroughly to remove any scents from the pig previously living in it, and perhaps rearrange items to make it 'new.' Removing scent is really important, as a pig bonding can go badly awry if a pig feels an invader is entering 'their' space.

Thanks for this advice!