Bonding one guinea pig with a herd

[holliesky12]

hi everyone i need some advice. on Sunday i am rescuing one girl Guinea pig. i have bonded before but i bonded a trio with a pair it took a week for me to feel confident with them being in the same hutch without me there. they are all girls. with bonding a single piggy would you suggest taking a more gradual approach as i know bonding is very stressful if any one can offer some advice i would be very grateful.

 

[Piggies&buns]

what ages are the piggies in question?
how long have the original ones been together?
you can have the newbie in A hutch alongside for a few days to settle in before bonding day, but you can only do that if piggy is older than four months. A piggy under four months is desperate for company so will need to be bonded immediately. the actual bonding needs to be done in one go though - got to do it and see it through to conclusion whether that be success or failure. You can’t introduce them one day, end it, then put them back together the next and so on as that is stressful for them.
do you have a plan in case of failure? Bonding a single with a bonded pair can be problematic so having a strategy for living arrangements is essential

This guide explains further Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

 

[Siikibam]

You have to do an all or nothing. ‘Gradual bonding’ isn’t good for them. Only they will decide (the pair in particular) if they want to live together. Expect the worst and hope for the best

 

[flowerfairy]

I found that letting the new guinea pig live alongside the herd that you want to add her to helped them all to get acquainted before the actual bonding in a neutral space.

 

[holliesky12]

what ages are the piggies in question?
how long have the original ones been together?
you can have the newbie in A hutch alongside for a few days to settle in before bonding day, but you can only do that if piggy is older than four months. A piggy under four months is desperate for company so will need to be bonded immediately. the actual bonding needs to be done in one go though - got to do it and see it through to conclusion whether that be success or failure. You can’t introduce them one day, end it, then put them back together the next and so on as that is stressful for them.
do you have a plan in case of failure? Bonding a single with a bonded pair can be problematic so having a strategy for living arrangements is essential

This guide explains further Adding More Guinea Pigs Or Merging Pairs – What Works And What Not?

there ages are:
belle - 1 year
blue -1 year
mocha - 11 month
cleo - 11 month
stormi - 11 month
the one that is being adopted is 4 years so she is a older piggy.
the whole herd has been together for 10 months.
for the plan i do have a sperate hutch for the piggy just in case if they fight.
the play pen is really big and open and i was gonna put the herd in the play pen and then put the new piggy in the pen so i can see if they get along.
would you recommend this ?

 

[Piggies&buns]

The way it works best is if the newcomer isn’t a threat to the hierarchy. It’s going to hinge on whether she wants to be dominant and how that is going to work with your existing dominant piggy.

you need to do the bonding in a neutral area, somewhere which is not their normal territory. If you put a newcomer into a place the original piggies see as their own, it’s a surefire way to cause a problem

this is the bonding guide Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics. It explains everything in more detail than I can do here

 

[Siikibam]

Bonding needs to be on neutral ground. So if the girls have been in there before you can’t use that area. It has to be free of their smells.

It will be about compatibility and whether they’re all willing to accept a new addition. If things don’t work out, you would have to find your new girl a friend. But before pairing her up she would need to live next door to the herd. That interaction is still very important.

 

[holliesky12]

The way it works best is if the newcomer isn’t a threat to the hierarchy. It’s going to hinge on whether she wants to be dominant and how that is going to work with your existing dominant piggy.

you need to do the bonding in a neutral area, somewhere which is not their normal territory. If you put a newcomer into a place the original piggies see as their own, it’s a surefire way to cause a problem

this is the bonding guide Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics. It explains everything in more detail than I can do here

ok thank you i will look at the guide

 

[holliesky12]

Bonding needs to be on neutral ground. So if the girls have been in there before you can’t use that area. It has to be free of their smells.

It will be about compatibility and whether they’re all willing to accept a new addition. If things don’t work out, you would have to find your new girl a friend. But before pairing her up she would need to live next door to the herd. That interaction is still very important.

ok thank you