Bonding pen or straight in cage?

[Spaniel]

I’m hoping to take our boar Perry to a rescue to choose his own friend.

Once we get home do we put them into a bonding pen to continue monitoring or fully clean down the cage and put them straight in there?

 

[Piggies&buns]

It depends on how long they are together at the rescue.
If it is speed dating - he is only there for a few hours then they need to go into a bonding pen when you get home to finish the process for another few hours before going into the cage. It is also advisable to bring them home in separate carriers after speed dating so that there is no risk of a fight occurring in a tight space such as a carrier on the journey back.

If it is a residential dating (not sure how many rescues offer this now), as in Perry stays at the rescue for a few days to find and bond with a new friend, then they can go straight into the cage.

 

[Claire W]

The last two piggies I bonded was to be friends with my current pair although one has sadly died now.

They were from a forum member and we did the bonding at her house for a few hours. When it looked like things were going well, I brought them home but we continued the bonding for a good few hours at home (well my parents kitchen) before putting them in the cage together. I think they were bonding for around 8 hours before putting them in the freshly cleaned cage so it depends how long they’ll be bonding at the rescue on whether you need to carry on the bonding in a bonding pen st home.

Be aware that it takes roughly two weeks for s new heirachy to be established so be prepared for plenty of dominance behaviour even when they’ve moved in to the cage

 

[Spaniel]

It’ll most likely be for a short time for that initial acceptance so I’ll continue in a bonding pen at home.

Unless I hear back from a rescue who wants to supervise longer then we’ll see.

We usually bring one here, let them live side by side for the new one to settle and then bond. Is this a better option or does it not really make much difference?

 

[Claire W]

If they have already had an initial meeting and things seem to be going well at the rescue, I wouldn’t bother having them live side by side and have them in the bonding pen when you bring them both home. You can leave them in the bonding pen over night if necessary if things appear to be going well and you think it safe to do so

 

[Piggies&buns]

 

[Spaniel]

And one more question.. for now!

Would you say it’s always better to go for that initial meeting if possible?

 

[Wiebke]

And one more question.. for now!

Would you say it’s always better to go for that initial meeting if possible?

Hi

Yes, it is always better. Even if it is a relatively short meeting at the rescue, you can jump the first and biggest hurdle at the rescue. However, the whole bonding process is much more complex and in fact takes around 2 weeks. It is best to get the first big stages out of the way on neutral ground rather than potentially triggering territorial hostile behaviours in the cage.

You can find out more about speed and residential rescue dating in this link here: Rescues (Adoption and Dating), Shops, Breeders or Online? - What to consider when getting guinea pigs

Here is our detailed and comprehensive bonding guide: Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics