Adding new piggies

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Eloise

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Hello all,

I have 3 female piggies I adopted from a neighbour as a child’s unwanted pet 3 years ago. They’re estimated to be around 5 years old, sadly one of the herd passed away about a month ago (she was the boss and diva of the group) and since then the other two havent been the same without her.

I’m considering adding some new female piggies to the herd so here are my questions:

1) should I get 1 or 2 new pigs to add to the herd? There used to be 3 now only 2 but because the remaining 2 are 5 or older and therefore could be nearing the end of their lives, if I only add 1 new piggy it may only have the other 2 companions for a short amount of time which of course will be stressful. So is it better to introduce 2 at once or get 1 and a few months later get another 1?

2) should I quarantine the new piggies I get for 2 weeks first or try to introduce them as quickly as possible?

3)i have a C&C cage that is currently 2x6 grids large, according to online sources this is large enough for 5 guinea pigs, so will it be okay for 4 guinea pigs in peoples experience or should I extend the cage more?

thank you everyone, any advice for bonding will be much appreciated 😊🥰
 
Character compatibility is the most important part. You can’t just add piggies and expect everything to be ok, they may simply not like each other.
The best way to add more piggies is to take your piggies dating at a rescue centre. Your piggies will then choose their own new friends. That way, the bond will be better as they will have chosen each other and will be compatible. If you buy piggies then you need to prepare for failed bonding and then extra cages so you can keep them all apart.

Quarantine won’t be necessary if you get piggies from a rescue centre. They will all be correctly sexed, not pregnant and health checked before being rehomed. If you get from another source then yes you need to quarantine.

A 2x6 is only big enough for four guinea pigs
 
Piggies&buns said:
Character compatibility is the most important part. You can’t just add piggies and expect everything to be ok, they may simply not like each other.
The best way to add more piggies is to take your piggies dating at a rescue centre. Your piggies will then choose their own new friends. That way, the bond will be better as they will have chosen each other and will be compatible. If you buy piggies then you need to prepare for failed bonding and then extra cages so you can keep them all apart.

Quarantine won’t be necessary if you get piggies from a rescue centre. They will all be correctly sexed, not pregnant and health checked before being rehomed. If you get from another source then yes you need to quarantine.

A 2x6 is only big enough for four guinea pigs
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My biggest fear is another one of them passing away in the future and leaving one piggy alone. If I go to a rescue centre is it better to look for a pair of sows or a single sow to add to my current two in your opinion? Or should I see what guinea pigs they respond well to while I’m there? At the moment I don’t know any rescues that are particularly close to me, I think the nearest one is the RSPCA but even that is probably a 45 min drive from where I live and I feel like it won’t be a safe distance to travel with my guinea pigs for them to meet new members, it could be too stressful. I was considering adopting new piggies from the pets at home adoption centre bit but again the same question still stands, is it better to look for 1 or 2 guinea pigs ?
 
Eloise said:
My biggest fear is another one of them passing away in the future and leaving one piggy alone. If I go to a rescue centre is it better to look for a pair of sows or a single sow to add to my current two in your opinion? Or should I see what guinea pigs they respond well to while I’m there? At the moment I don’t know any rescues that are particularly close to me, I think the nearest one is the RSPCA but even that is probably a 45 min drive from where I live and I feel like it won’t be a safe distance to travel with my guinea pigs for them to meet new members, it could be too stressful. I was considering adopting new piggies from the pets at home adoption centre bit but again the same question still stands, is it better to look for 1 or 2 guinea pigs ?
Click to expand...

With boars you can only keep two together, so if you want to have sows, then your boys need to be neutered and have the six week wait before bonding (if they aren’t already neutered)
How many is not relevant as it comes down to character compatibility.
That drive is not too much for your piggies to enable them to meet new friends. It is the best thing to do for them to ensure a successful bond.
From the adoption centre at pah, then you will need to quarantine, ensure any females aren’t already pregnant, and then attempt a bonding and see what happens. Because it is down to character compatibility, there is a going to be a chance of the bond failing so you will need to prepare for that if you choose not to date them at a rescue centre
 
Eloise said:
My biggest fear is another one of them passing away in the future and leaving one piggy alone. If I go to a rescue centre is it better to look for a pair of sows or a single sow to add to my current two in your opinion? Or should I see what guinea pigs they respond well to while I’m there? At the moment I don’t know any rescues that are particularly close to me, I think the nearest one is the RSPCA but even that is probably a 45 min drive from where I live and I feel like it won’t be a safe distance to travel with my guinea pigs for them to meet new members, it could be too stressful. I was considering adopting new piggies from the pets at home adoption centre bit but again the same question still stands, is it better to look for 1 or 2 guinea pigs ?
Click to expand...
If you take them to a rescue they will choose for themselves. I think even numbers are easier so there isn't the risk of one being left out. Have a look on the rescue locator and see which others are near you. 45mins journey isn't stressful for them. Some people on here have travelled for hours (public transport) to pick up piggies, and they've coped well with the journey.
Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues
 
Piggies&buns said:
With boars you can only keep two together, so if you want to have sows, then your boys need to be neutered and have the six week wait before bonding (if they aren’t already neutered)
How many is not relevant as it comes down to character compatibility.
That drive is not too much for your piggies to enable them to meet new friends. It is the best thing to do for them to ensure a successful bond.
From the adoption centre at pah, then you will need to quarantine, ensure any females aren’t already pregnant, and then attempt a bonding and see what happens. Because it is down to character compatibility, there is a going to be a chance of the bond failing so you will need to prepare for that if you choose not to date them at a rescue centre
Click to expand...
My two piggies that I have right now are female, I read online that it can be challenging to add a single adult female to 2 existing adult females which is why I was asking if it’s better to introduce 2 new females to the herd rather than one (to increase success rate of bonding). Thank you for the information though :)
 
Eloise said:
My two piggies that I have right now are female, I read online that it can be challenging to add a single adult female to 2 existing adult females which is why I was asking if it’s better to introduce 2 new females to the herd rather than one (to increase success rate of bonding). Thank you for the information though :)
Click to expand...

Why I had it my head that they were boars I have no idea, clearly misread! 🤦‍♀️ Sorry, I’ve clearly confused myself so I will start again!

Yes it can be more challenging to add singles. To bond an already bonded pair to another already bonded pair it is best if one pair is younger than the other pair. Again though, character is the key to the success of it.
The rest applies though - to adopt a pair from the adoption section at pah you will need to ensure they aren’t pregnant and quarantine them before attempting to bond, and then have a plan in place in case the bonding fails. Dating at a rescue centre will mean that your piggies will choose their own new friends which will result in a better bond and you’ll know there aren’t health issues or unexpected pregnancies.
 
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