Bonding Sows After Pregnancy

[Emma89]

Hello I am new to this so hope it works!
I bought 3 sows from a breeder recommended by friends. They had their moments of squabbling but generally got on well.
I found after a few weeks that 2 of the girls were pregnant (not ideal). I ended up splitting all the girls up so they could have their babies. Karen was not pregnant and has been living alone for about 2 months now. She has become much braver than she was and enjoys my company now.
Regina and Gretchen gave birth 2 days apart. They have been great mums and the babies are doing great.
I now have the dilemma of getting them back together.
Regina and Gretchen are now sharing a cage. Gretchen is incharge and can be very bossy. They have all spent time next to each other in their cages and intro's including Karen have never gone well.
Today they all had a bath. It went well, I dried them off and they all were together in my kitchen. It was all fine (bar some grumbling and chin rubbing) but about 20 minutes in Gretchen flew at Karen chased her around and ripped her hair out. It stopped but 5 minutes later happened again. It was very hard to split them and I don't know how long I should keep trying for? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Emma

 

[sport_billy]

Hello,

Welcome to the forum.

That doesn't sound good to be honest. It may be worth thinking about getting a friend for Karen if possible and have two pair if space allows. We have a rescue locator here and some rescues offer piggy dating Guinea Pig Rescue Centre Locator A baby piggy also should be bondable with Karen as babies go straight to the bottom of the hierarchy

 

[Wiebke]

Hello I am new to this so hope it works!
I bought 3 sows from a breeder recommended by friends. They had their moments of squabbling but generally got on well.
I found after a few weeks that 2 of the girls were pregnant (not ideal). I ended up splitting all the girls up so they could have their babies. Karen was not pregnant and has been living alone for about 2 months now. She has become much braver than she was and enjoys my company now.
Regina and Gretchen gave birth 2 days apart. They have been great mums and the babies are doing great.
I now have the dilemma of getting them back together.
Regina and Gretchen are now sharing a cage. Gretchen is incharge and can be very bossy. They have all spent time next to each other in their cages and intro's including Karen have never gone well.
Today they all had a bath. It went well, I dried them off and they all were together in my kitchen. It was all fine (bar some grumbling and chin rubbing) but about 20 minutes in Gretchen flew at Karen chased her around and ripped her hair out. It stopped but 5 minutes later happened again. It was very hard to split them and I don't know how long I should keep trying for? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Emma

Hi! I am sorry that you have been let down down by your friends' recommendation. Yours is sadly a story we get to hear all too often from members who "know a good local breeder". Backyard breeders are unfortunately not exactly known for being able to sex piggies properly or knowing when to separate boars.

How old are the babies now? Have you been able to sex them yet? Any boars needs to be separated at 3 weeks old, or you are looking at the next round of pregnancies, both from mum and sisters.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/after-birth-and-baby-care.109389/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sexing-separating-baby-boars-and-rehoming-babies.109391/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pregnancy-and-nursing-diet.109377/

It is very tricky to re-bond sows after a pregnancy; about the most tricky time you can bond sows. They can be very protective while they are still with the babies; but they are a bit more accepting of other mums if they are in constant contact, as they are wired to bring up sows between them.

Please do not try again at the moment. You can reconsider once the babies have been weaned, but it may not work out. As long as they are nursing, sows and their babies enjoy a special protected status which supersedes the normal the hierarchy. This reverts at the end of the nursing period, but mums that have gained in status as top sow of their own little group are usually not all that keen to go back to their old rank way down the ladder.

If things don't work out, you could consider pairing Karen with one or two of the female babies and keep them as a separate group.

Please DO NOT bathe for bonding. I know that it is currently making the rounds as the latest "cure-all" tip for successful bondings. It is not necessary unless you are trying to re-bond testosterone drenched boars after a near fall-out. In fact, it is actually rather counterproductive in all other cases because it is another added stress factor. Ultimately, it is down to the piggies to decide whether they want to get along and to sort out a hierarchy. you can provide the neutral setting, but if they don't get on, there is nothing you can do to make them so happily.
Here are our bonding tips:
Introducing And Re-introducing Guinea Pigs
Illustrated Bonding Behaviours And Dynamics
Sow Behaviour