failed trio bonding

[Rodentranch]

Okay, I tried bonding my (roughly) 18 month old neutered boar with two sisters of (roughly) 7/8 months.

It was a neutral space although I think it may have been too small (3x2 c&c as I am STILL waiting for OH to put their new enclosure together).

One of the females went mental attacking both the boar and her sister. The other two just froze to spot. My poor boy ended up with a bitten foot

Obviously I've seperated him again.

I don't know what to do? Should I try again once he is healed? Was this down to the space not being big enough?

Help please! I thought I knew what I was doing but apparently not...

 

[lauralucy]

do you have a bathroom floor or hallway you could use to introduce them?

if you can have them living side by side for now so they get used to each others smells etc.

is the girl who went a bit mad the dominant one?

 

[Rodentranch]

do you have a bathroom floor or hallway you could use to introduce them?

if you can have them living side by side for now so they get used to each others smells etc.

is the girl who went a bit mad the dominant one?

Yes she is, little madam is often seen bossing her sister around rolleyes

I haven't got room to have the cages next to eachother, even though they are horribly small. The new accomodation should be ready by the end of the week. I was hoping to be able to have them allready so I could just pop them all in. I am unlikely to try bonding again until the summer. Poor Humbug was really quite traumatised. As far as I know he has always been alone and the first time he sees another piggie, he ends up hurt

What's the minimum bonding space for three pigs?

 

[Wiebke]

I find that my big kitchen table makes a good space for bonding groups underneath - I just put a cheap fleece down. The bathroom floor is also often a good alternative if it is a more than just standing space and doesn't have a carpet. block off any crannies they may be able to get into.

Please wait for at least as long as the foot has healed before you repeat any intros. It would be great if you could partition the space first and have them separate, so they can meet that way - if possible let them have some sessions that way before new intros. Don't do intros as long as there are signs of aggression; it will go wrong.

 

[Rodentranch]

Yes, Thank you. The new living quarters are 5x4 foot, so I will partition it into two (double meshed so she can't get to him!). This will however be their living space once bonded, but I assume if I clean and white vinigar it before putting them back it should be ok?

I will wait until July now I think, with them living next door to eachother.

Thanks everyone x

 

[Wiebke]

Yes, Thank you. The new living quarters are 5x4 foot, so I will partition it into two (double meshed so she can't get to him!). This will however be their living space once bonded, but I assume if I clean and white vinigar it before putting them back it should be ok?

I will wait until July now I think, with them living next door to eachother.

Thanks everyone x

That is a very big space and you will have more than enough space for two decent single cages. Let them live next to each other first and relax - your girl probably just panicked and completely overreacted; things can escalate very quickly sometimes when piggies are tense. Just give them time to calm down. With patience, you can work past it, but it is definitely a case of slowly gets you there quicker!

The more you can do to eliminate any extraneous stress factors, the better for the bonding itself. I have found that living alongside beforehand can help a lot. Try to feed them side by side in the new cage, so they can bond over food.
And yes, just cleaning and rearranging the whole pen before putting them back will do perfectly fine.

 

[Guinea pig slave]

Hope it goes well for you hun - know how hard bonding can be.
My top girl will not accept any other piggy into the herd she lives with (5 others, accepted four babies immediately on a previous attempt) despite them living next door to another piggy and neutral introductions 8...
We tried them on our sofa and they were fine on two/three occasions so the day arrived to introduce and try in the pens - the new girl and top pig fought so we had to split. Amelia (top piggy) then bullied all the others for days after and it really did worry me as she is such a sweet girl but it upset the whole balance for around a week :{
Took a while for things to settle so we decided the new piggy needed to go dating and she chose two lovely little buddies to bring home x)
It really is quite distressing to see so consider taking your boy dating at a rescue to find a friend if things don't work out
Not all intro's go to plan - like people, we choose our friends and can't like everyone

 

[Lilly]

I had my two boys living side by side in separate cages for two weeks before I put them together in a brand new larger cage. That worked.